Saturday, May 4, 2013

Easy Chicken Pot Pie ($2.91 each)



$2.91 each          77% savings          save $37.47 yearly


About a month ago, I posted a fabulous recipe for Homemade Bisquick Mix courtesy of Lydia from Parents.com. The photo above was featured on that post, and subsequently, I had loads of recipe requests.

Let me tell you... this chicken pot pie is soooooo YUMMY! People will think you slaved for hours, when in reality, it comes together in minutes.

...But, you don't have to tell them that.

I would definitely put this recipe in the "I-don't-have-time-to-be-in-the-kitchen-tonight" category.

Steamed veggies, and tender chicken smothered in a thick, creamy sauce and topped with an easy, hearty, golden-brown crust... what's not to love?

The first time I made this it was a complete experiment.

I'll be honest... sometimes my culinary "experiments" are met by the stink-eye from most of my family.

However, this particular experiment was a raging success! My husband raved about it several times throughout the course of the meal. My little wife-y heart was pretty happy, I tell ya.

One of the best things about this recipe, is that you can cater it to your personal taste... choose your own veggie mix, use whole wheat in the bisquick, go for shredded beef instead of chicken, use a different sauce base, double up the chicken and sauce... you can make it completely your own, and it will cost you a mere fraction of what it could cost to buy one from the store. 

You're gonna love it!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Printable Version

*Makes one 9" pot pie (6 servings)

(Note: If you are a "filling" person, you can easily double the sauce and add an extra cup of shredded chicken. I've done it both ways, and loved it both ways.)


INGREDIENTS
12 oz. bag frozen vegetables (I love the Bird's Eye Asparagus, Gold & White Corn, and Baby Carrots)
1 cup shredded chicken (Canned chicken could work in a pinch)
1 can cream of chicken soup (yes, yes, I know... cream of chemical soup)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme (opt.)

1 cup Homemade Bisquick Mix (or regular Bisquick)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg


DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9" pie plate. Set aside.

Cook the veggies according to the package. If using fresh veggies (approx. 2 cups fresh), steam to cook.

In a large bowl, mix together the steamed veggies, cooked shredded chicken, condensed soup, 1/4 cup milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour into the greased pie plate.

In a medium bowl, mix together the Homemade Bisquick mix, 1/2 cup milk, and egg. Pour on top of the chicken filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes.



~ Savings ~

Cost Breakdown:
12 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables - $0.75 (on sale)
6 lb. bag frozen chicken (Sam's Club) -$10.98 = $1.83/lb = $0.915
10.75 oz. can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup - $0.75 (rollback)
1 gallon milk (Sam's Club) - $2.89 = $0.181/cup = $0.181
26 oz. salt - $0.44 = 48 T = $0.009/T = $0.002
pepper - $3.84 = 37.75 tsp. = $0.102/tsp = $0.013
1 dozen eggs - $1.78 = $0.15/egg = $0.15
Homemade Bisquick - $0.15/cup = $0.15
Total Recipe Cost = $2.91
Cost per Serving = $0.49

The Contender:
Grand Traverse Pie Company 9" Chicken Pot Pie = $12.49

Savings: 77%

"Over a Year" Scenario:
Make Easy Chicken Pot Pie 4 times = $11.64
Buy Grand Traverse Pie Company 9" Chicken Pot Pie 4 times = $49.96

*Money Saved = $37.47









22 comments:

  1. That looks very good! There is a chicken pot pie recipe that I make (from Family Fun of all things), but it's pretty labor intensive, so I don't tend to make it a lot. Do you make your own cream of chicken soup? I do not by any means make everything from scratch, but I really prefer the homemade version, and it doesn't take long to make at all. I have made several of your recipes and enjoyed all that I made!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sheila,

      I'm glad you've enjoyed other recipes from my site. :) Hopefully this one is no exception. I have to say, make most everything from scratch, but I have had ZERO luck with a good cream of anything soup recipe. They all taste like flour... or like chicken bullion... and not like what I'd want to eat. I've tried three. I'd love it if you could send your recipe my way. :)

      Delete
    2. You may not like mine any better, then! :) I can't find the full recipe, but I can tell you how I do it. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and mix in 3 tablespoons of flour. I have a tiny whisk that I use that works really well. After it's bubbling (I wish I had the real recipe - I don't think I am describing this well! I add in 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk and cook and stir until it thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. I do usually use the chicken bullion to make my broth, but I also froze turkey broth in 1/2 cup portions after Thanksgiving to use in this recipe. My freezer also contains refried beans from your recipe. They are a huge 'convenience' food for me.

      Delete
    3. I'll give it a try. Thank you so much! ;)

      Delete
  2. I just found your blog recently and love it. I also love the G. T. Pie Company chicken pot pie, having gotten it the last two times I've been to Michigan. However, they use pie crust. Boy, I agree, they are absolutely delicious. Chris

    ReplyDelete
  3. Couldn't wait until you posted this. And I can't wait to try it! Love quick, simple, healthy meals!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrea,

    This will be on our menu this week! Nothing more satisfying than a good pot pie! As for the cream-of soup, I never could find a recipe that worked, until I decided to start creating.

    I mix instant dry non-fat milk, chicken flavoring (but from the ethnic section...it doesn't seem to be so....boullion-y...{is that a word?}, italian seasoning, cornstarch, and dried onion. I can post the exact measurements if you're interested, but its really worked out well. I make up a lot and then just mix it 1/3 c mix to 1 1/4 c water and heat.

    :) thanks for being awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool! This sounds intriguing... I'm excited to try it!

      Delete
    2. OK-- So, here it is.

      2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
      3/4 cup cornstarch
      1/4 cup chicken base (this is at Sam's Club, too...it's in a canister but is not dry)
      2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
      2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

      I mix it up and 'cut in' the chicken base paste and then store it in a big jar in my fridge. You could also just mix the dry and add in the chicken base when you added the water to heat.

      The ratio is 1/3 c mix with 1 1/4 c water. :) Hope you enjoy! I love this stuff.

      Delete
    3. KATE!!

      I've been meaning to tell you... this stuff is awesome! So many people gave me good substitue recipes, but yours has been my favorite. A great substitute! In fact, I'm going to post about it on my blog, and credit you. Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
    4. I will be using one little difference though... I like it best with flour instead of cornstarch... so it uses 1 1/2 cups flour instead of the 3/4 cup cornstarch... I'm mention both options though. :)

      Delete
  5. My cream of something soup substitute:
    1/4 c butter (or fat of your choice)
    1/2 c flour (I use fresh ground hard--but any will work)
    1 1/2 c milk (or cream + broth combo)

    Melt butter in skillet and stir in four until smooth and bubbly. Slowly add liquid and stir constantly until thickened and smooth.

    I find this must be seasoned HEAVILY--meaning heavy on salt and pepper, onion and garlic powders, curry, sage, etc... --- I taste it to see if it tastes like gravy I'd want to eat alone. I think this is necessary to make up for the lack of MSG.

    consider for
    mushroom: add a few diced mushrooms (canned or fresh) and a bit of minced onion
    chicken: small smount cooked chicken, chicken broth in liquid and sage
    cheese: 1/2-3/4 c shredded cheese and dry mustard and stir until smooth

    J in VA

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your site.. been just a lurker for a bit now.. one thing I that I do.. I have been making this pot pie for years.. found it on the back of the box.. I make a chicken stew in my crock poat and they when I get home from work I put in a pie pan and put the bisquick topping on and 30 mins later.. I am done..

    Sue in NJ

    ReplyDelete
  7. I make this same basic recipe but instead of the cream of chicken I use cream of potato. In fact, I found the recipe on the back of that soup can.

    ReplyDelete
  8. FINALLY got this made tonight and loved it!! Super simple to make and perfect for a quick summer dinner. I cooked up 4 times the veggies and froze them so that I can pull them out and quickly throw this together for an even quicker meal in the future.

    Ps. I used my homemade cream soup and we loved it. Don't know if you are looking for more cream soup recipes but if you want to try yet another one, mine is on my blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anyone have experience on freezing this? Is it better to freeze before or after baking? Or partway through? Also, does it do well as leftovers? It's just my hubby and I right now, so that would be a lot of pot pie in one sitting. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love using the homemade bisquick mix as a chicken pot pie topping! I made it just last night. Yum! I wanted to mention that this recipe is not listed on the recipe index, at least not that I saw. I'm not sure if that was on purpose or not, but thought I'd let you know anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've made this for years, but the original version printed on the Bisquick box. As a matter of fact, this is my oldest son's very favorite dinner. He always requests it for his birthday dinners, and other special occasions, which has always surprised me. Anyway, last night we made this using the Bisquick mix recipe on your blog. WOW, it was so much better!! My son actually moaned and asked that we never make it any other way!

    ReplyDelete
  12. do you think I could make this as a freezer meal? if so, would I bake it first then freeze, or freeze it uncooked? thanks for the recipe!!!!! im looking forward to making it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never used this as a freezer meal, but if I did, I would cook it, then freeze it. When you want to use it, pull it out in the morning and let it thaw, then warm it in the oven... I'd guess 30-40 minutes at 200 degrees, but I'm not sure. Start checking it at about 20 minutes.

      Delete
  13. I made this recipe today pretty close to the exact way you published it with a few changes based on what I had in my pantry. I also did the Homemade Bisquick and all I can say about it is YUMMY!!! I am enjoying my second serving while I type this. I baked it in my cast iron skillet and it came out so good. Thank you for sharing this. I planned my meals for the week based on several of your recipes. Looking forward to them all. Thanks again ~Roberta in Denver, CO

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great recipe!

    If you want a good alternative to cream of anything soup, check out this white sauce base mix.. it is a staple in my house and tastes amazing. I don't buy cream of anything anymore!

    http://mamawheel.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/white-sauce-mix/

    I have a bunch of your recipes on my "to try" list as I start off my 2015 from scratch year! Thanks for some wonderful ideas!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...