Boost the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie with bacon and dijon and top it with a super easy whole wheat crust that you simply press into shape!
Chicken is one of our family's favorite sources of protein and no matter how many different ways I cook it (just take a look at our main dish recipe index and you'll get an idea!), we don't grow tired of it - probably because it's adaptable to so many types of recipes.
Since we love chicken so much I have a lot of ideas for recipes using it, but now that the weather has turned cooler, baked dishes are calling to me - and this bacon dijon chicken pot pie makes a perfect warm, comfort food dinner. October is also our "sweet and savory pie recipe" month on the blog, so a pie using chicken seems pretty much perfect, right?
This recipe is sponsored by Foster Farms.
But I didn't want to share just any pot pie recipe with you - I wanted to shake up the traditional chicken pot pie ingredients and make it easier - you can always trust me to find the easiest way to do things! So I added bacon, dijon mustard, garlic and vegetables like cabbage and sweet pepper to go along with the chicken and onion. Made the white sauce right in with the vegetables. And then topped it with a crust made with good-for-you ingredients that you simply shape with your hands.
I don't know if I'll ever make a traditional chicken pot pie again! My family LOVED it.
Bacon Dijon Chicken Pot Pie
These are the fresh, real food, filling ingredients, many of which came from my own garden. Since I can't get chickens from my yard, I purchased Foster Farms Simply Raised (without antibiotics), one of two locally grown products in the Pacific Northwest (the other being Fresh & Natural).
For this out-of-the-box pot pie recipe, the chicken, bacon and mustard provide flavor and protein while cabbage and sweet peppers make a nice change from peas and carrots. I always encourage you guys to use whatever you have on hand, however. Kale, chard or spinach would be fantastic, I think, as well as mushrooms, diced zucchini, or corn (okay, and yes, if you have peas and carrots go ahead and use them!).
Make the Filling
Infusing the filling with bacon flavor only takes a few slices, cooked first, drained, and then... you can guess what I did, right? Yep, cooked the chicken and onion right in all the bacon drippings. And then threw in the vegetables to sauté in the bacon goodness, just for good measure.
In order to make this dish possible for weeknights, making a separate white sauce just wasn't going to cut it - instead I made the sauce right in the pot by simply sprinkling the flour over the sautéing vegetables and stirring as the milk is added. It will thicken as it cooks (alternately, if you wanted to use cornstarch or potato starch, mix it into cold milk first and then pour slowly into the hot vegetables).
After stirring in the seasonings, mustard and cooked bacon, you can transfer the filling to individual ramekins, like I did or into a deep dish pie plate. I really prefer using ramekins for pies like this, as well as recipes like these big crumb fruit crisps, since it makes them so easy to serve.
Make the 5 Minute Crust
And if making a crust is why you shy away from making pot pies, then you will love this recipe! All the crispy, browned crust goodness with only about 5 minutes work.
The crust is the same basic press-in-the-pan oil crust from our sausage corn tart that used only four ingredients (flour, salt, oil and milk). For this recipe, though, I used 100% whole wheat pastry flour, divided it into pieces and simply shaped the dough by hand into rounds.
Simply use a spatula to scoop each ramekin-sized crust up and flip it onto the top of the filling. (Alternately if making one large pie, shape the entire dough onto a piece of parchment the size of your pie plate top and flip it over the top, peeling the parchment back after you do.)
Whether making the chicken pot pies in individual ramekins or a single pie pan, you'll want to place them on a cookie sheet before placing them in the oven to catch any drips from the filling while it bakes into lovely golden deliciousness.
Dig In!
Bacon Dijon Chicken Pot Pie with Easy Whole Wheat Pastry Crust
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken breasts or thighs skinned, boned & chopped
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 sweet red pepper chopped
- 1/2 small head cabbage cored & chopped
- 1/4 cup flour*
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour**
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup oil olive, expeller-pressed sunflower, melted coconut
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg optional to coat the crusts- it helps them brown nicely
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place six 1 cup ramekins (or one deep dish pie plate) on a small baking sheet.
- Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; remove to a towel lined plate to drain.
- Add chicken pieces to bacon drippings and cook until browned no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook another couple minutes until onion is softened.
- Stir in cabbage and red pepper, stirring and cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle vegetables with flour* and mix well.
- Slowly pour in the milk, add the Dijon and seasonings and cook over med-high heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in reserved bacon.
- Divide filling between ramekins (or spoon into pie plate).
- Make crust:
- Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl.
- Stir together oil and milk and pour over flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until mixed completely.
- Shape/flatten dough into an oval and divide into 6 even pieces for ramekins. Shape each piece on a cutting board with your hands to fit the ramekin opening, use a spatula to transfer to ramekin, flipping dough onto filling top. (For single pie, press all the dough out onto a piece of parchment, flatten and shape to fit, then flip onto filling, peeling parchment off.)
- Brush crust tops with beaten egg wash, if desired for browning.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Dinners You May Like:
20 Minute Mediterranean Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
Soy Sriracha Marinated Chicken
Rotisserie-Style Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken
Spiced Lemon Skillet Chicken with Kale & Beans
This post is sponsored by Foster Farms®, the chicken I've bought for years since it's grown locally. The opinions, as always, are all mine. For more info, read our entire disclosure page here.
