Re-use leftover roast chicken and mashed potatoes in a reimagined chicken pot pie
I’m all in on using up leftovers to make fresh dinners later in the week. In an effort to make a gluten-free chicken pot pie, I designed a 2-meal plan involving chicken and vegetables. On the first night, make roast chicken and vegetables with mashed potatoes and parsnips. Then, a day or two later, the leftover chicken and vegetables becomes the pot pie, topped with leftover mashed potato and parsnips. Easy-peasy and delicious.
These menus serve a family of 4.
Dinner One: Roast Chicken & Vegetables with Mashed Potatoes
Inspired by a recipe in the print version of Sunset magazine, I updated mashed potatoes with parsnips, coconut oil, and nutritional yeast. The peelings make this a dish virtually no-waste. Even better, my kids loved them.
Roast Chicken
This is my version of roast chicken, adjusted just a bit from the way my Mom makes it.
Ingredients
1 4 to 5 lb. chicken, giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
1 garlic clove, minced
½ lemon, juiced
1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
Gluten-free tamari
4 slices thick-cut bacon
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine herbs de Provence, minced garlic and lemon juice.
3. Stuff chicken’s cavity with the onion and half of the herb mixture. Gently lift the skin on each breast and rub remaining herb mix evenly on both breasts. Sprinkle gluten-free tamari onto the bird and rub into the skin so that skin is evenly coated and just damp.
4. Place bacon strips in a single layer over the breast, allowing any extra to hang over the cavity. Tie legs. Place any additional onion in pan next to bird with a little oil.
5. Roast about 15 minutes per pound or 1 hour, 15 minutes for a 5 lb. bird. When approximately 30 minutes of cooking time remain, remove pan from oven and remove the bacon strips. Return pan to oven until temperature at intersection of leg and breast is 160F and breast skin is nicely browned.
6. Remove bird from the pan, tent with foil and allow to rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve bird with bacon and onions.
Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots, trimmed1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
- 1 lb cauliflower, cut into thick, ¾” slices
- 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil and spritz with olive or canola oil.
2. Place vegetables in a single layer on baking sheet. Spritz vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes or until undersides begin to caramelize and turn brown.
3. Remove from oven, flip and roast 15 to 20 minutes more until undersides begin to caramelize and brown. Remove from oven. Serve immediately.
Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips with Crisp Root Vegetable Strips
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, rinsed, scrubbed, and patted dry
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed, scrubbed, and patted dry
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
12 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 1/2 qts. vegetable broth
1/3 cup vegan coconut spread* or vegan margarine
1/4 cup nutritional yeast*
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Peel parsnips and potatoes, saving peels. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss peels with oil, sage, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and spread out evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, then cook until golden and crisp, stirring another time, 4 to 6 minutes. Keep warm.
2. Cut parsnips and potatoes into 2-in. chunks, put in a medium pot with broth, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until parsnips are very tender when pierced, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.
3. Return vegetables to pot with 1 cup broth (save remaining broth for other uses) and beat with a mixer or mash until as smooth as you like. Add coconut spread, yeast, and remaining 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper; stir well. Transfer to a warm bowl. Top with some of root vegetable strips and serve the rest on the side.
*Find butter-like spread, such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s, and nutritional yeast at most markets in the baking aisle.
Adapted from Adeena Sussman, Sunset magazine, originally published: NOVEMBER 2011
Dinner 2: Gluten-free Chicken Pot Pie
Gluten-free Chicken Pot Pie
This riff on the all-time classic is gluten-free and dairy-free. Use whatever chicken you have left from the roast bird from Day 1, or 1 to 2 cups of left over chicken.
Ingredients
For the Creamed Chicken:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
1/3 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (corn starch will work too)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened rice or soy milk
1 to 2 cups leftover cooked chicken (from roast chicken, above)
2 tablespoons sherry
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or more to taste
¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the Gluten-free Pot Pie:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small celery stalks, chopped
3 leftover roasted carrots, chopped
2 slices leftover roasted cauliflower, chopped
2 slices leftover roasted broccoli, chopped
½ cup frozen peas or pre-cut green beans, thawed
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 to 3 cups leftover parsnip-potato mash
Preparation
1. Remove leftover mashed potato and parsnip mixture, leftover chicken and leftover vegetables from Dinner One from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.
2. Preheat oven to 400F. Spritz a deep-dish pie pan (I use this one from Emilie Henry) with oil, place pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside.
Make the creamed chicken:
1. In a wide, non-stick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk the flour into the butter and cook 1-2 minutes more until evenly incorporated and beginning to turn golden.
2. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and steadily whisk until smooth. Whisking constantly, add the rice milk. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture just to a simmer, making sure that there are no lumps.
3. Stir in the leftover chicken then the sherry and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and season with white pepper and salt. Set aside.
Make the pot pie:
1. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When foam subsides, add the onion and celery and cook until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
2. Add remaining vegetables (carrots through peas) and parsley. Stir just to combine, then remove from heat.
3. Stir the vegetables into the creamed chicken. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan.
4. Using a soup spoon or other medium-large spoon, “drop” mashed potato and parsnip mixture evenly over vegetables. It should look a bit “fluffed.”
5. Place in the oven and cook until chicken is bubbly and topping browns along the edges, about 30 minutes.
Serve immediately.
This post, which originally appeared in 2015, has been edited for clarity.
