Food Friday: Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Stew!

Recently the weather turned rainy and cold, not at all like our spring sunshine earlier this week. I decided to try this recipe I found from a brochure our dietitians from our local grocery store, hoping it would help curb the cold.

Serving the chicken stew with home made biscuits I was sold on the recipe. Not only was it surprisingly delicious but also hearty and nutritious. This chicken stew recipe was all around a great find for our family.

Here is the original recipe for Slow-Cooker Turkey and Biscuits as I found it.

Ingredients

2 medium red potatoes, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 ounces fresh sliced baby Bella mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, crushed
1 pound turkey breasts
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup frozen sweet peas


Here is the version I adapted for what I had on hand. To highlight, I substituted cornstarch for tapioca as my starch thickener. In this process though I learned that tapioca is often used as a less fattening means to thicken gravies. Also, I thought this recipe seemed small and so added two extra potatoes and a whole can of broth. I made the stew in rapid time using my food processor to chop all the vegetables.

4 medium red potatoes, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken breast
1 small can reduced sodium chicken broth
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup frozen sweet peas

Directions

1. In a slow-cooker , combine potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture. Top with chicken breast and pour broth over entire mixture.
2. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours or on HIGH heat for 3-3 1/2 hours.
3. Remove chicken from slow-cooker. Coarsely shred chicken into pieces and return to cooker. Stir in peas and cream cheese, cooking for another 10 minutes.

Feel free to add biscuit dough for chicken pot pie and dumplings. I just served the stew over the biscuits. Recipe made about three meals worth for three people. This would be a good meal to put in the freezer to pull out when needed.