This post has been sponsored by Loblaws. Although they have provided me with financial compensation and products, my opinions and words are all my own. I am in partnership with Loblaws and will be bringing blog posts and recipes throughout the rest of the year, and all partnered posts will be marked as sponsored.
It’s officially fall, which means it is my favourite time of year! I love this time of year because the weather is getting cooler, you can start bringing the sweaters and coats out of the closet, and the food gets to be warm and hearty! As a kid, I always enjoyed this time of year because even though it meant it was back to school time, it also meant that my mom was going to start having delicious dinners ready for when my brother and I were back from school.
There is nothing better than coming back home and knowing that there was going to be a hearty dinner waiting for you after a long day. It was during those years that I was introduced to some of my favourite foods, including some that I still call my favourites to this day. We would have tourtière (a French-Canadian dish), scalloped potatoes, lasagnas, homemade fries and chicken nuggets (which are SO much better when homemade).
As you can imagine, as I got older and started to try cooking for myself, I looked back at these dishes as starting points for inspiration and wanted to learn how to make them myself. Some of the easier things like homemade fries and chicken nuggets were first, and things like scalloped potatoes and tourtière were near last (as they were much more advanced).
One of my all-time favourites that my mom used to make for us, though was chicken pot pie. To me, it was one of the perfect dinners. It was rich and creamy, had a great mix of textures (between the veggies, the creamy base, and the chicken, you had a delicious feeling in your mouth), and let’s not forget about the crust- light and flaky!
This month as part of the #FoodLoversUnite campaign, I got to work with Karley, the in-store registered dietitian at the Maple Leaf Gardens location (if you remember, I met with her before to find ways to incorporate more plant-based protein into my diet) to find ways to take my favourite chicken pot pie and find ways to make it more health-conscious without losing any of my favourites parts! Loblaws has a network of over 70 dietitians across Canada to help you achieve your health and wellness goals in a way that works best for you and your body. Through personalized consultations and store tours, the in-store dietitians help customers reach and maintain their healthy weight and manage their digestive concerns. To learn more or book an appointment, visit bookadietitian.ca.
Karley walked me through how I could make some small changes to this lifetime favourite and make it something that can still be just as delicious while focusing on it being nutritious and packed with ingredients that will help better fuel my body! She showed me some more common-sense substitutions like 2% milk instead of whipping cream, but also introduced some ideas I hadn’t thought of before like including cauliflower rice, reducing overall sodium content, and how to better the overall nutritional profile of the dish. Even though I consider myself fairly well educated when it comes to making healthier choices for meals, it was fantastic to trade ideas back and forth with Karley and work to introduce new ways of thinking into how I approach meals and recipe development. I highly suggest utilizing the Loblaws in-store dietitian services if you’re interested, I guarantee you’ll be surprised with how valuable they are.
I won’t make you wait any longer, here is my recipe for my health-conscious chicken pot pie!
Ingredients:
2.5lbs cooked chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (about 4 large chicken breasts)
2 cups diced potatoes with skin-on (yellow or red)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ cup diced white onion
¼ cup chopped green onion
3 carrots, diced
1 leek, finely chopped
½ cup fresh peas
½ cup fresh corn
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Sauce:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
11/2 cups 2% milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
Biscuit Crust:
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1.5 tbsp cold butter
½ cup 0% MF Plain Greek Yogurt
¼ cup 2% milk
1 large egg
Instructions:
Start by making the sauce:
- In a small bowl whisk the garlic powder, salt, white pepper and flour
- Pour in the milk and whisk to combine
- In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil and stir in the milk and dry ingredient mixture to the boiling water and cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat.
Then make the filling:
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Grease a cast-iron skillet and set aside
- In a medium-sized pan, sauté the potatoes and garlic for 10 minutes or until brown. Add the onion, carrots, leeks and garlic powder and cook until soft (10 minutes or so).
- Add the peas, corn and chicken and stir to combine, add salt and pepper.
- Pour in the sauce and stir to combine. Add the sauce and ingredient mixture into the cast-iron skillet and set aside.
Then make the topping:
- In a large bowl combine the flours, baking soda and powder, sugar and salt and whisk to combine.
- Cut the butter into smaller pieces and add them to the dry ingredients, using a pastry blender to combine until you have coarse crumbs.
- Add the yogurt, milk and egg and combine.
Now combine:
- Divide the batter into biscuit sized pieces and place on top of the pre-made potpie mixture in the cast iron.
Cook on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
If you want to make this and have any questions, feel free to DM me @JackDHarding on Instagram, and if you make it, please tag me and show me your creation.