Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cheddar Herb Almond Crust

This evening I decided to conquer chicken pot pie so I created "Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cheddar Herb Almond Crust".  I didn't follow any particular recipe, I just made it up as I went.  It didn't just turn out great...it turned out absolutely WONDERFUL!  Even though I made it up as I went, I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do based on traditional chicken pot pies I've made in the past.  I boiled boneless chicken breasts and used all fresh veggies but you could make it more quickly if you used frozen veggies and leftover chicken instead of starting completely from scratch.  The part I worried about most was thickening the "sauce" since I am not using flour.  I decided to give xanthum gum a try for the first time and boy am I glad I did!  All it took was 1 teaspoon, added gradually, to give the sauce the consistency I was looking for along with the addition of 1/4 cup of half-n-half to add the richness I wanted.  The sauce looked thick, rich and gorgeous.  I seasoned it with salt & pepper until it tasted the way I liked it.  I made my pot pie with only a top crust which is how I have always made them.  I had already planned to use an almond flour based crust but wanted it to have a little more flavor, so I added sharp cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, sea salt and black pepper to the basic almond crust recipe.  This kicked it up a notch and made it more savory.  I can now scratch chicken pot pie off my wheat and grain free bucket list!  :-)  I am so excited to share this "comfort food recipe" with you and hope that you enjoy it just as much as we did.  I've snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as my recipe.  Enjoy!

Voila!

Fresh out of the oven

Take a peek inside

BOOM!

Check out how thick and rich the sauce is

This is what it looked like before going in the oven

Here is one more "before being baked" shot for perspective

Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cheddar Herb Almond Crust

INGREDIENTS:

Filling
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
2 cups chicken broth (plus extra to use as necessary to adjust sauce thickness)
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 cup fresh green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup half-n-half
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper, to taste  
1 teaspoon xanthum gum (to be added gradually)

Crust
2 cups almond flour
3 tablespoons "cold" butter, diced
1 egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 - 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly spray/grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish and set aside.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and saute celery and onion until tender; add chicken broth, carrots, green beans; cover and simmer until carrots and green beans are tender.  Add parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring broth and veggie mixture to a light boil/simmer while stirring in the xanthum gum 1/2 teaspoon at a time, whisking vigorously until well blended.  Sprinkle the next 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum a little bit at a time, whisking until the broth begins to thicken.  Once it has reached the thickness you like, add the half-n-half and stir well.  Check seasoning (salt and pepper) and make any necessary adjustments.  Add chicken to the sauce and mix well.  Simmer on low for a few minutes to just to keep hot.  

In a medium bowl, add all crust ingredients and cut in with a pastry cutter until crumbly and all flour is moistened and cheese is pulverized into the mixture. Press dough together in a ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper and flatten out lightly into a circle shape (or the shape of the top of your casserole); cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness to the size of your casserole dish.  Handle the dough minimally with your hands (you don't want to heat up or melt the butter in the dough, you want it to remain stiff).  Once dough is rolled out evenly and the size of your casserole dish, pour hot filling mixture into casserole dish.  Gently and carefully lift the dough and move it on top of the filling in the casserole (it is important to choose the right size casserole so your filling will be within an inch or so of the top when filled and the crust will fit and lay nicely on top).  If it cracks a little, gently press it back together.  You can use any leftover scraps of dough that you have left to build a crust around the edge of your casserole dish.  Put chicken pot pie in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes; lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown and done (you can tell by touching the top of the crust).