EASY & Crave-able Chicken Pot Pie Sandwiches with Vegan & Kid Friendly Subsitutions



Chicken pot pie is a crowd pleasing classic. Savory onions perfuming carrots and various vegetables is a legendary flavor profile. Then when cream is added, well.. shut the front door because now pure kitchen magic happens. When we add tender pieces of chicken to the creamy sauce and tuck it into flaky pie dough what results is something impossible to resist.


As much as I love chicken pot pie, it’s more of a weekend project than a weeknight meal. It’s also not very waistline friendly. I decided I needed to change all that. I wanted something lighter in calories with super charged flavor and doable on a weeknight. 


These chicken pot pie sandwiches are IT! They take all the “project” out of chicken pot pie and make it weeknight friendly. They’re done in under 30 minutes and can be made even easier with the tips found in the blog article. 


HOW IT WAS MADE:

Chicken thighs are marinated in Wishbone Italian Salad Dressing and seasoned with a light sprinkle of Kosher salt. They get cooked and removed from the pan. Then the pan is wiped clean, store bought mirepoix is added, followed by some chicken stock and finally some store bought Alfredo sauce. The chicken is returned to the sauce to warm and tenderize it. Meanwhile brioche buns are toasted. Finally the brooch is topped with the chicken and drizzled with the pan sauce. 


MAKE IT EASIER:

  • Make the sauce, add 16 oz shredded rotisserie chicken and warm it through. Add the meat to the brioche buns and drizzle with the sauce.
  • Use chicken fingers and dip the chicken into the sauce. 
  • Use a chicken patties to top the sandwich. 


JARRED ALFREDO SAUCE SUBSITUTE:

Make a roux using 1 tbs each of butter and flour in the skillet. Then add approximately 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock. Start with approximately 1 cup, add it slowly until you get a sauce and stop. You may not need all the stock. Proceed with the recipe where the vegetables are added.


LOW-CARB SUBSTITUTES:

  • Use cauliflower thins or a make a lettuce wrap. 
  • Use low-carb flour tortillas and make a wrap.


MAKE IT VEGAN:

  • Instead of using chicken, substitute a vegan chicken patty instead.
  • Use vegetable stock in the sauce instead of chicken.


RECIPE

4 servings
Per Serving [bun excluded]: 279 cals/18g total fat/4g sat fat/8g carbs/5g sugar/21g protein

RECIPE NOTES:

  • You can use chicken breasts. They should be approximately 1/2 inch thick.
  • Chicken thighs are done when they register 165 F.
  • Chicken can be marinated overnight.
  • Cleaning out the pan after cooking the chicken is important. The burnt bits in the pan make the sauce too bitter. 
  • Mirepoix can be purchased in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores. Or you can make your own by combining 2 parts onion to 1 part celery and carrots.
  • This can also be served over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.
  • You can make this ahead. To reheat warm the chicken in the sauce.

INGREDIENTS


1/2 cup Wishbone Italian Salad Dressing
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt
1/2 cup mirepoix 
Olive oil spray
1 cup chicken broth, no salt or low-sodium
1/2 cup Primal Kitchen Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water made into a slurry
4 brioche hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine salad dressing and chicken thighs and marinate for minimum of 1 hr. Refrigerate if marinating more than 1 hour. 
  2. Heat a skillet with high sides on medium heat. Pat the marinade off the chicken and lightly season chicken with Kosher salt. Spray pan with cooking spray and add chicken. Cook 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. Once you flip the chicken to cook the other side, add mirepoix to a glass measuring cup, spray with olive oil spray and microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power or until vegetables are softened. Remove chicken from the pan and let rest. The thighs are done when they register 165 F. Clean the pan. I added a bit of water to loosen the burnt sugar and poured everything off. 
  3. Lower the heat, add the vegetables and broth to the pan. Simmer on low heat until broth is reduced by half, 4 minutes. Add Alfredo sauce to pan. Stir to combine. Allow the liquid to simmer and add the slurry. Allow to simmer 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet, cover and allow to warm through.  While the chicken is warming, toast the bottom of the buns. Then assemble and pour the sauce over the chicken, add top bun and serve. 

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