When it’s snowing in Zurich on a Sunday and you aren’t already in the mountains, there isn’t much to do. I’m surprisingly ok with this and have actually grown to love our relaxing winter Sundays; staying warm and cozy inside while watching the snow fall outside . The stores are closed, which of course has it’s pros and cons, but when my fridge is stocked, it doesn’t matter. It just means that I don’t have any reason to leave our apartment.
This Sunday we took full advantage of a cold day and stayed bundled up at home. Jon was depressed that the Super Bowl wasn’t on until midnight, so we tried to make up for it by eating junk food and not moving from the couch all day. We are currently hooked on the show Scandal, and if you’ve watched it, you know how hard it is to say no to Olivia Pope. At this point, I can’t even tell if I like the show, or if I’m just addicted to knowing what happens next.
Luckily, when it came to dinner time, we didn’t have to turn off the TV for too long. I already had the dinner components prepped and I just had to assemble and pop it in the oven. In just 20 minutes, we had bowls of warm comfort to accompany us on the couch.
Chicken pot pie has been on request in our household for a long time, but I didn’t make it because I can’t handle all the cream and butter it usually entails. But when we had an ample supply of turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving, I decided to do some research and figure out how to make a pot pie suitable for everyone. And that’s how our dairy-free chicken pot pie was born (well, the first born was a turkey pot pie, but our second born is a bit easier to get the ingredients for!).
The trick to making it dairy-free is all in the coconut products. A little coconut milk adds creaminess to the filling without adding coconut flavor, and coconut oil makes for a great substitute for butter to achieve a nice and flaky crust.
I can’t say this is an easy, weeknight meal, but I can say that it is easy to prep ahead of time and assemble it when it’s time for dinner.
Just beware that once you make it, the requests don’t subside.
They come twice as often.
- 1 1/4 cup flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4-6 tablespoons ice water
- 2 cups chopped yellow fingerling potatoes (5-6)
- 2 cups chopped carrots (4-5)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 can peas or 1 cup of frozen peas
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups shredded chicken (meat from about one whole chicken)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Black Pepper to taste
- For the crust, mix flour and salt together. Add the coconut oil and with a fork or pastry cutter, cut/mash the oil into the flour until you have small pieces. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture nicely combines. Roll the mixture into a ball, cover, and place in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- Sauté the potatoes and carrots in coconut oil in a large pan. Cover and let steam for about 10 minutes. Add the onions, parsley, and oregano and sauté for 5 more minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to boil. Let the mixture simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
- In a separate pan, stir the chicken with the flour. Pour in the coconut milk and stir. Once combined, add the chicken mixture and peas into the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture has slightly thickened. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F/200 degrees C. Pour the filling into a pie pan, 9x13 pan, or 6-8 individual baking dishes. Roll out the dough to the size of the top of your serving dish. For a pie pan or baking pan, bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling. For individual dishes, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling.
- If you know you won't eat it all in one evening, refrigerate half of the filling and half of the crust and bake it fresh the next night. The crust tastes best fresh out of the oven.
- Feel free to swap in turkey and turkey broth for the chicken and chicken broth!
One Response
I think I need to start watching Scandal. I’ve heard such good things. And I think it’s on Netflix! If you’re looking for another great show, we are obsessed with The Blacklist. It’s on Netflix too. So good! I love that this is dairy free. And so smart using coconut milk and coconut oil! I’ve got to try this : )