Pre-New Years Resolution Curried Chicken Pot Pie

So I’ve already started my New Years resolution.  Is it cheating to have a resolution you’re excited to start?  I don’t think so.  You don’t get to know what it is yet.  Except that you might be seeing more of me.  Also, I need to get all the meat-based recipes out of the way this month, because I’m going to be a vegetarian for the month of January.  Just to see if I can.

I’ve been meaning to make this particular meat-based recipe for quite some time.  I finally did, and it was delicious.  Really delicious.  I will say I wasn’t infatuated with the crust – I would consider making a different recipe for that part next time, but the filling was divine.  Also, of course I subbed sweet potato and added a lot of extra curry powder.  It would have been bland for my taste with just what the recipe called for.

Curried Chicken Pot Pie:

Ingredients

     Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (or more, to taste)
• 2 cups diced peeled sweet potato (about 12 ounces)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour, water, and vinegar in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk until well-blended to create a slurry. Set aside.
2. Combine 3/4 cup flour and salt in a large bowl, and cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry to flour mixture, and toss with a fork until moist. Press the mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill 15 minutes.
3. To prepare filling, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add curry; cook 2 minutes. Add potato, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chicken; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through black pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir mixture and cream cheese into vegetables and cook 1 minute or until cream cheese is melted.
5. Spoon the filling into a round 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Roll the crust into an 11-inch circle, and place over mixture. Cut 6 slits in top of the dough to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes.
   *Note: You can also make this in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. When you prepare the crust, press the dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle, and chill. Roll dough into an 11 x 7-inch rectangle and place over the filling.

Johanna