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Chicken Pie with Cauliflower Crust

Chicken Pie with Cauliflower Crust is a healthy and simpler take on the traditional chicken pot pie. This recipe is an easy weeknight meal, but hearty enough that you will want it on Sunday. Layers of fresh veggies are sautéed and then topped with a Cauliflower Cheddar crust that is browned up in the oven.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Pie Pan
  • Stock Pot

Ingredients

Chicken Pie filling

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 leeks trimmed and diced
  • 2 large celery stalks trimmed and diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
  • 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 small fennel bulb outer leaves removed, flesh sliced and diced
  • 9 ounces of mushrooms sliced
  • 1 rotisserie organic chicken skin removed and meat shredded {about 1lb}
  • handful of fresh parsley chopped
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • Pinch of ground black pepper

Cauliflower Crust

  • 1 large head of cauliflower trimmed and torn into florets
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cubed {used to top before baking}

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°.
  • Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and cook stirring for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.
  • Add the celery and bay leaf and increase the heat to high, cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to the boil.
  • Add the carrots, fennel and mushrooms and reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer the mixture until the volume of liquid has reduced and the vegetables are tender, about 12-15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, for the topping, fill the bottom of a pot with 1/2” of water and add the cauliflower, and garlic cloves.
  • Bring the pan contents to a simmer over a medium heat, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork (add a splash more water during cooking if necessary).
  • Remove from the heat and transfer the contents to a food processor. Blend till smooth and creamy {similar to the texture of mashed potatoes}. Season with cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse food processor to blend.
  • To finish the pie filling, remove the bay leaf and add the shredded chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to blend and pour into a pie dish.
  • Spoon the cauliflower topping over the filling and spread into an even layer using the back of a spoon to smooth.
  • Dot the top of the pie with the 1 tablespoon of diced unsalted butter.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden-brown.