I'm talking about probably the best thing I have ever made to eat...EVER!! Chicken Pot Pie Crumble from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This was one of our meals last week and it was not just ridiculous good...it was RE-donkulous good! I seriously could eat this for lunch and dinner everyday and NEVER be disappointed. It is definitely in the category of non-healthy {with the cream and butter and whole milk} but I'm telling y'all it is so worth it. On a scale of 0 to 10 this one gets a 10 in my book. The only draw back is that it does have a lot of steps, nothing hard, just multiple steps to do. I did a big chunk of the cooking while the boys were taking their afternoon nap and was able to finish it all up even with them tearing my kitchen apart. So...if I can make this while still pulling kids off of the stairs and out of the cabinets {because yes, we are those crazy parents that have not kid proofed everything yet} then anyone can make this.
You can head on over to Mel's Kitchen Cafe {like RIGHT NOW} for the recipe but I have also included it here with a few comments of things I did. Sadly I didn't take any pictures to show how awesome it looks...I was just too excited to have it for dinner!
Chicken Pot Pie Crumble
For the Chicken and the Sauce:
1 1/2 pounds of chicken {I think I used about 3 pieces}
2 cups chicken broth {I used 2 cans...didn't really measure it out}
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
{or you can buy the chopped onion in the frozen section like me...way easier and so much better on the eyes!}
3-4 carrots peeled and sliced
2-3 celery stocks, chopped {I omitted b/c we don't like celery in our house}
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk {I used whole b/c it's all we had}
3/4 cup frozen peas
{I didn't have frozen peas but had a can of the little teeny baby ones and used those instead}
** I also added a couple of potatoes, cooked and cubed. I just felt like we needed another veggie since I cut the celery. I also probably didn't use a whole onion since Jeff isn't a huge fan.
For the Crumble Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled {I put mine in the freezer for about 10 min.}
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
To cook the chicken I put all of the pieces in the crock pot with the two cans of chicken broth and cooked it on low for about 5-6 hours. Melanie tells you how to cook the chicken if you are not using a crock pot but I can definitely say that the crock pot method is the way to go...simple and easy.
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a bowl and tear into bite size pieces once it has cooled. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve for the filling mixture.
Next up...the crumble topping {which I could eat all by itself it is that good}. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture and use your fingers to rub the butter into the mixture {you can also use a pastry cutter but I don't have one}. Mix until the butter pieces are coarse and crumbly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the cream...mix until just combined {I ended up using my hands to mix it all together and it was much easier that way}. Crumble the mixture into pieces on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes stirring once in the middle. The pieces should just start to brown. Once it is cooked, set it aside and try not to eat all of it before it goes on the chicken.
Now...on to the filling. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery {if using it}, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally {about 5 minutes}. Transfer your veggies to the bowl with the chicken.
Using the same pot, melt your butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly {it will be a bunch of goop, not liquidy at all}. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens...stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper along with the chicken and all of your veggies.
Pour the chicken mixture into a 13x9 pan and pour the crumble mixture on top. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the topping is nice and brown. Let stand for 10 minutes. Eat and enjoy!!
There really aren't words to describe the awesome-ness of this meal. It may seem a bit overwhelming and a ton of work but it really is so worth it. It is going into my regular rotation of meals for sure and is going to the top of my list of things to make when needing to take a meal to friends. It is simply comfort food at it's best. I'm so glad I found Mel's Kitchen Cafe, just to have this recipe. I can't wait to try more of her yummy, yummy foods!
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