Looking for a simple weeknight meal that's likely to please everyone at your dinner table?
A hearty slow-cooker chicken pot pie recipe, famous among members of the r/slowcooking subreddit, may be the answer to your problems and become your new go-to comfort meal this winter.
The recipe, originally published on the blog I Am Homesteader, was posted recently in the Reddit slow-cooking community, which has more than 2 million members and is dedicated to sharing the best slow-cooker recipes on the internet.
After making its rounds a few months ago, the savory dish became so popular, it's now known as "The Chicken Pot Pie" within the subreddit. The one-pot meal involves veggies, cream of chicken soup, chicken breasts and savory chicken stock, all combined in a slow cooker and left to hang out on low for eight hours.
When the creamy, stew-like meal is finished and the chicken breasts are shredded and tender, it gets served up in bowls and topped with store-bought buttermilk biscuits.
"With our daily hustle, this slow cooker chicken pot pie is just what we needed," Amanda, who runs the I Am Homesteader blog, wrote in her post about the pot pie. "Slow Cooker Chicken Pot pie is just the same as a traditional pot pie, but not encased in a crust. I simply throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning, and when I come home, the house smells incredible and dinner is served. I get to spend some time with my family and enjoy the evening hours with them before bedtime, rather than slaving away in the kitchen."
TODAY Food reached out to Amanda for comment, but did not receive a response.
Drawn to the blog post's promise of a simple, hands-off meal that would please my family, I decided to try The Chicken Pot Pie for myself.
As I gathered the ingredients needed to prepare the dish, I was struck by how colorful and beautiful they looked on my kitchen counter. From the bright colors of the corn, celery, peas and carrots to the contrasting appearance of spices like salt, paprika, oregano and black pepper, the ingredients reminded me of what goes into a hearty homemade chicken noodle soup.
While the cornucopia of ingredients spent the day together in my slow cooker, I spent time with my family and worked from home, all without worrying about what I'd make for dinner later that night.
About 30 minutes before dinner time, the pot pie required my attention: It was time to add in the frozen peas and canned corn as well as to bake the canned biscuits I'd picked up at my grocery store.
Overall, it was very minimal work for dinnertime, when I'm usually frantically moving about the kitchen getting a meal together.
The dish smelled amazing, and when it was time to serve it up, I ladled huge portions into bowls and topped each with a biscuit.
My family loved this chicken pot pie so much, there wasn't as much talking around my dinner table because everyone was busy spooning the creamy, savory chicken dish into their mouths.
Plus, there were plenty of leftovers, which are always a hit in my house.
In the days following our big meal, we feasted on more chicken pot pie for lunch. Like many slow-cooker dishes, I found that the flavors had matured and improved each day. Since we'd used up our biscuits, we topped our bowls with grated Parmesan cheese, which I would highly recommend.
The millions of slow-cooker enthusiasts in this subreddit are rarely wrong — and they were spot on in their enthusiasm for this specific slow-cooker recipe.
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When it comes to the appeal of this dish, the recipe creator sums it up perfectly on their blog:
"This recipe is ridiculously easy, jam-packed with flavor, and one of my families favorite dishes. The seasoned pulled chicken and fresh cut veggies marinate in spices all day creating an amazing dinner you will be proud to serve up."
