Healthy Comfort Foods

This has been a January that you need your mom, your dog and a big bowl of comfort food. 

And, comfort food looks different for everyone. 

One of my favorites is the Chicken Pot Pie casserole that I found online. I've slowly adapted it to fit my diet and my availability for cooking. 

Find the original recipe here on the Smells Like Home blog. 

My recipe has evolved over the years. 
For starters, I don't make my own biscuits. I normally buy them from the store and put them on top, or I make them on the side and those who want them eat them. There are lots of Gluten Free options, too.

For the chicken pot pie filling:
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil (I have also used olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil)
1 large onion, chopped fine
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise ¼-inch thick
2 small ribs celery, cut crosswise ¼-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp unsalted butter (You can use ghee Earth Balance dairy free butter, but it needs to be more solid than a typical "oil")
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I use Pamela GF all-purpose flour mix, but you could also use a nut flour of your liking.)
1 ½ cups milk (I use almond milk.)
2 to 2 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp dry sherry (optional - I have never tried it with)
3 to 4 cups (about 1 ¼ lbs) shredded chicken **Note, you can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that. It also gives it a good flavor. I often put a few chicken breasts in the crockpot and let them go. 
¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

Follow the instructions in the above link on how to combine and cook. 

I have also found a good way to make this recipe last us longer: Split it in TWO pans!

So, the recipe calls for 9x13 pan, but I've used two 8x8 pans instead and it cooks just fine. 

Here's how to prep it:

Pan #1 - the one you're eating tonight -

Follow the recipe above. Use the ingredients that fit your style. Like corn, add corn. Like lots of onion, throw some in. It's a casserole. So you can do whatever you'd like! 

Pan #2 - the one you'll eat later - 

Line the pan with tin foil. Follow the recipe above. (Do not add biscuits yet. However, if you're home making them and you don't want to do that later, you can add them, but will need to cook at a lower temp with the foil on longer.) Bake it. Let cool. 

Place in the freezer in 8x8 pan. Once frozen, pull out of the freezer and remove from pan with the tin foil and either wrap in butchers paper or put in a freezer baggie. 

When you're ready to reheat, place back in the 8x8 pan and bake until warmed all the way through. 

Bake according to the original blog post. 

**I have set my casserole in the fridge the night before to defrost and it cooks a little faster. 

**If you're doing the biscuits now, bake for the first 20 minutes, then add the biscuits and bake for 10-12 minutes more. 

I have found a few things:

1. I always let everyone add their own salt. It's a relatively salt-less dish, but depending on the day I like more or less. It's cordial to let others add their own. 

2. The filling absorbs into the biscuits (which I LOVE) but if you're not a soggy biscuit fan, I'd eat them on the side. 

3. It pairs well with a cup of light red wine - like a Pinot Noir.

I hope you enjoy. Leave some comments about your favorite comfort foods so I can try them too!

~T