To me, there are several different meanings to the word "comfort food." Sometimes it can be the late-night pizza runs after you've had a few beers and all you're looking for is greasy goodness. Other times it can be reminiscent of childhood memories and may only be a "comfort" food to you. But then there are those foods that really stick to your ribs and leave you feeling full and satisfied...THIS was one of those kinds of comfort foods.
I actually made this pot pie a couple weeks ago, before we started our post-vacation diet cleanse (ok, not really a cleanse but more like trying NOT to go out to eat every meal) and it was so good as a weeknight dinner but also a couple servings of lunch too!
I started with a few stalks of celery and a small onion, diced.
I heated some oil in a large pan and simmered the chopped veggies with salt and peppers until they were soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
I removed the veggies from the pan and added two chicken breasts which were diced, and then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little oregano. I cooked those until they were cooked through, about 7 minutes.
I then removed the chicken from the pan and started working on my roux. To make the roux, I melted about 2 tablespoons of butter into the same pan I had just cooked the chicken. Once melted, I then added a couple heaping tablespoons of flour and about a cup of chicken broth.
I brought the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then turned it to low so it could thicken up. (and please ignore the flour chunks...the roux just wasn't hot enough for the flour to be incorporated with the liquid quite yet!!)
As the roux was firming up, I got out my frozen veggie mix and measured out about 2 cups to use in the pie. I also made my biscuit topping, which was just the standard Bisquick recipe on the box!
Ready to assemble! I first mixed the cooked veggies, chicken, and frozen veggies in a large, separate bowl to make sure they were evenly combined.
Once the mixture was completely combined, I poured it into a greased baking dish, along with my finished roux.
(^^I took a pic without the roux/gravy because it was much prettier!^^)
I cut the biscuits into large rounds and placed them over the top of the mixture. I also used the leftover corner pieces to fill the gaps so there wasn't any inner mixture exposed!
I cooked the pot pie at 325 for 30 minutes, and then cranked the heat to 375 and cooked it for another 20 minutes. Depending on your oven or the thickness of your biscuit, you may need more or less time...I just slightly pulled apart the inner-most biscuits and once the bottom wasn't gooey I knew I was set! You could also cover the top with foil if your biscuits get too brown too fast but still need to be cooked through.
Even though it took a little bit longer to assemble and cook than my normal weeknight meals, it was sooooo satisfying! Plus since I didn't use any "cream of" soups, I felt a little more healthy...ish. :)
Happy Thursday!
