southwest chicken pot pie

One of the problems with being a foodie blogger is that I always want to make everything from scratch, and sometimes my family wishes we could just buy some processed foods instead. Such was the case a week or two ago, when I caught Geoff staring longingly at the frozen pot pies at Costco. I reminded him how high in fat, calories, and sodium they are, not to mention how many weird ingredients they have, and he reluctantly agreed we could leave them in the freezer section… for now. I then made it my mission to come up with a homemade version that he would like just as well. And on a whim, I decided to give it a little southwest twist, since Geoff absolutely loves cumin. The result was a delicious bowl of comfort food that even my littles ate up happily. And Geoff? I’m pretty sure I heard him mumble something like, “I’m a lucky man” under his breath. Southwest chicken pot pie for the win!

Southwest Chicken Pot Pie

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water and 1 tsp chicken base)
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, sliced and steamed (I did mine in the microwave)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used leftovers from another meal)
1 pie crust (you could use store bought; I made my own using this recipe)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent and softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Add flour and whisk together to make a roux. Slowly add chicken broth and milk while continuing to whisk; cook until sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as chili powder and cumin. Stir in carrots, black beans, corn, and chicken, and cook until heated through. Add mixture to your container of choice (I used a 9 inch round casserole dish) and top with pie crust. Be sure to cut holes in the top so that the filling can vent. Shape pie crust as desired (I like to crimp the edges with my fingers), then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.