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Chicken Pot Pie with Grain Free Pastry
You may have seen in my newsletter a couple of weekends ago, that I was recently in the Dandenong Ranges for the Wellness Breakthrough, along with 8 other health and wellness experts and 45 superstars ready to make some major changes in their lives! (Missed my newsletter? Subscribe here) I spoke alongside Cyndi O’Meara and Damian Kristoff about gut health, natural nutrition and how to heal the body with food.
During my workshops, I talked about taking favourite family recipes and changing them to make them healthier, or suitable for special diets. One of the recipes I demonstrated was Chicken Pot Pie, something that has always been a big favourite in our home.
Over the past few years I’ve been making chicken pot pie with various flours and dairy substitutes, but now that we’re on the GAPS diet I needed it to be grain free and starch free as well.
For the filling, I decided to use my delicious, Cauliflower and Leek Mash. I added more chicken broth (recipe here) to make a thick sauce, as well as some onions, garlic and herbs for more flavour.
My family love my new grain free version of chicken pot pie, and everyone who’s tasted it is surprised there’s no grains in the crust and the filling is dairy free! There’s nothing quite like serving a hearty pie you know the whole family will enjoy – especially one that’s so naturally delicious, and so easy to create.
There’s a couple of variations for the crust. You can use almond meal, or use seeds for a nut free version, or use a mixture of both. Just play with it and see what you prefer. Some of my family love it with all almond meal, some find that a bit rich and prefer part seeds, part almonds. The colour of the crust will be darker than the photos if you use seeds.
You can also vary the vegetables in the pie – I used ones we can have at the moment on GAPS (we can’t have starchy vegetables), but if you’re okay with starches you could add sweet potato/potato/parsnip/corn… whatever you like.
Enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pies
2015-02-24 08:29:08
Cauliflower Sauce, in bowl
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 garlic cloves
- 60g duck fat (or ghee/butter if you can have dairy)
- 800g cauliflower florets
- 150g leeks, white only, sliced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 320g chicken broth (or water + 2 Tbspn chicken or vege stock paste)
- pepper
In Varoma
- 600g raw chicken, diced (or if using cooked chicken, add later)
- 200g pumpkin, thin slices, 1 cm pieces
- 200g peas
- 200g carrots, diced
Pastry
- 300g almond meal (or a mixture of blanched almonds, sunflower, and pepita seeds, milled 10 sec/speed 8)*
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 30g duck fat or lard (or ghee if you're not dairy free)
Also need
- Approx. 12 ramekins
Instructions
- Place all pastry ingredients into a bowl and mix 20 sec/speed 4. Remove from bowl, wrap in greaseproof paper, and chill until filling is ready.
- Place onion and garlic into bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Add duck fat or ghee/butter and cook 3 mins/Varoma/speed 1.
- Add remaining cauliflower sauce ingredients into bowl, place Varoma dish on top and add vegetables. Poke a hole in the centre for the steam to get through.
- Place raw chicken on Varoma tray, spreading out evenly, then place in position with lid on top. (See below for pre-cooked chicken.)
- Cook 20 mins/Varoma/speed 1. Stir vegetables and break apart chicken with spatula, poke a hole for steam, and cook another 7 mins/Varoma/speed 1.
- Remove Varoma and place chicken and veges in a large mixing bowl. (If using pre-cooked chicken add now.)
- Blend cauliflower sauce 30 sec/speed 9. Add to bowl and mix through veges. Set aside.
- Roll out pastry to 2mm thick on a Thermomat or silicon mat, with a piece of baking paper on top of dough so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.
- Cut circles to fit tops of ramekins with a blunt butter knife. (Cut gently on silicon mat - don't use a sharp knife!).
- Fill ramekins about 3/4 full with filling, and top with pastry circles. Place ramekins onto baking trays, and bake in 180C oven for approx 25 mins, or until browned.
Notes
- * I prefer to use activated nuts and seeds - soaked and dehydrated - as they are easier to digest. If using activated nuts and seeds for the pastry, and milling them yourself, you will only need about 250g as they are lighter than raw.
- * You can make this NUT FREE by using all pepitas and sunflower seeds instead of almond meal.
- * If you don't have time to make individual pies, you can pour the filling into a large, rectangular baking dish, roll out pastry into a rectangle to fit dish, place on top and bake 25-30 mins, until done.
Quirky Cooking https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/
Don’t forget to check back next week as I’ll be sharing with you another dish that utilises the delicious and versatile Cauliflower and Leek Mash!
wow oh wow! This is gorgeous in every way Jo — I can’t wait to try it — so many healthy concepts rolled up into one recipe. Thanks for your (as usual!) detailed notes, esp regarding the weight of the activated nuts. Cheers from Canada 🙂
Thanks Helene!! xx
me to!
Hey Jo,
Could I use cashew meal instead of almond meal please?
Thanks!
Yes, for sure!
Hi Jo. We have just enjoyed this for dinner! Thank you for creating and sharing it! I made one large pie, but only used half of the sauce as it looked like it was going to be too runny. It turned out really well. Thanks again. 🙂
That’s great! Use the rest of the sauce for the Creamy Bacon and Vegetable Soup! 😀
Anyone tried the egg free?
I don’t have a thermomix, is there a version of the method/instructions to make it without one ??
Yes, see my answer to Sonja’s question!
Yum! How do I make this without a Thermomix?
Just cook the mash in a saucepan, simmering slowly with lid on, then blend. Steam or gently simmer the veges, and the chicken you can poach while making the broth. And just use a food processor for the pastry. 🙂
What can you use in place of eggs please?
I would suggest using the chia seed “egg” metho.. 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds soaked in 3 Tablespoons of water, and let sit for 5 min. I haven’t tried this yet, but it works in a lot of other recipes! 🙂
Hi Jo,
We just had this for dinner and it was delish. I had some chia ‘gel’ left over from some bliss balls I made this afternoon and added it to the sauce, it made it a bit less runny, which we liked. I also added about two tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes purely for the extra punch of nutrients. Love this recipe. Thank you!
A God send x just found out I need to put my son on GAPS x bit overwhelmed at the mo. Thank you I’m really grateful xxx
You’re welcome! This is certainly a winner at our house too! These are delicious made as a sweet pie also! You can sweeten the pastry with a couple Tablespoons of honey, and follow the same method of cutting out the pastry, but instead of putting in the savoury filling, you can put cooked apple with cinnamon and honey in the mixture. Its really good! 🙂
Scrumptious! My whole family enjoyed this, even though teenage boys asked if i could use store bought pastry next time they devoured their piece. I used one large round dish. Thank you for sharing this! Loving learning to use the varoma with success. We had too much sauce as well so i have sauce for another meal.
Great! This is one of our favourites! 🙂
Will butter work instead of lard in the pastry?
Hi Teresa- Yes, butter would work. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jo,
I’ve been planning on making this one for a few weeks now, and need to buy ramekins (a good excuse for some more homewear shopping!). What size ramekins do you use for the pot pies?
Thanks in advance!
You can use any size, really! Just cut the tops of the pies to size 🙂
Hi Jo
I have just made one large pie and I am finding the pastry (half almond/ half sunflower seeds) to tear easily am am struggling to get it over the pie in one piece. Any suggestions ? Thank you.
Make sure the pastry is chilled, take the top layer of paper off carefully, turn the bottom layer with pastry stuck to it over onto the filling, then peel back paper. 🙂
Hi Jo,
I have never used ghee – can i just use butter? We are not dairy free.
yes that would work fine 🙂
Would these freeze ok do you think? Hoping to make the whole batch and freeze some as it’ll be too much for us for one dinner.
yes it will be fine 🙂
Do you have to use blanched almonds?
No, it just makes it a lighter pastry if you do.
Hi Jo. Can’t wait to try this, looks delicious!! Just wondering what part of the chicken you use. I have some thigh that I’d love to use. Would breast get a bit dry?? Thanks!
I love thighs best, but you can use either!
Hi Jo, I have leftover cauliflower and leek mash from last night, to make it into a easy chicken pie filling tonight do you think I could just cook raw diced chicken and veggies in the mash in the Thermomix bowl??
No it would burn. 🙂
Hi Jo, just wondering if coconut oil would work instead of butter/lard?
Yes!
Hello there Jo! My kids are allergic to chicken. 🙁 I was hoping to try beef instead. Do you think that will work? Im just not sure what part of beef would be best. Any recos?
Maybe try rump steak cut into small cubes. You might want to cook it longer though so it won’t be tough.
Hi Jo, can coconut oil be used in place of the duck fat in the pastry ??
Yes!
Hi Jo,
Amazing recipe as usual! Could you freeze portions of this? ????
Yes definitely!
Hi Jo, Could you freeze the ramekins? Preparing for birth of baby and these would be great to have in the freezer. Could always make a big one in a disposable tray I guess.
Yes definitely!
Hi Jo. Have you tried this pastry in a sausage roll? Do you think it would work?
Hi Jo I made this tonight for the first time and absolutely loved it! Do you have any tricks to help the cauliflower not loose as much water as it does? I found the cauliflower made the sauce a bit watery? Should I add flour? Thanks Jo! Love your recipes x
Did you use coconut cream for the mash? If it’s a thin cream use less, I use 200g thick cream.
🙂
I’m a bit confused jo as I can’t see coconut cream in recipe ingredients or method…
I’m confused as the recipe did not call for coconut cream. Mine was also very runny
Hi Jo, just wondering if this pastry would work for GF sausage rolls?
Hi Jo, just wondering if you could suggest how much sugar I would add to make a sweet pastry for Christmas mince pies – just beginning a GF DF programme but I don’t won’t to miss out on years of nannas little mince pies
Wow. Smells yum. Can’t wait til dinner now!
Thank you Jo! We can have again!! Maybe will try curry next time or mushroom! Yum yum!!
Would gluten free plain flour work instead of almond meal in the pastry lid and would it still be 300g
Yes, I think so. Just adjust the amount of flour according to the wetness of the dough. xx