4 Comfort Food Tweaks That Won't Widen Your Waist

The Fix: Roll out the pastry as thin as you can—you'll still have the buttery golden crust for about a quarter of the calories. For the filling, keep the focus on meat and vegetables, not sauce. And make the potpie in a single baking dish, which makes it easy to carve out reasonable portions—simply divide into quarters and serve.

Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

You'll need

2 carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups quartered mushrooms
2 cups frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup frozen peas
1 cups rotisserie white-meat chicken chunks
Salt and pepper
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

How to make it

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Cook the carrots and garlic until soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and onions; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the flour.

2. Gradually whisk in the broth, milk, and half-and-half, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken and peas and season with salt and pepper. Pour the filling into a 13" x 9" baking dish.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry so it's slightly larger than the dish. Place the pastry over the dish, pinching it against the sides, and brush with the egg whites. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. (Makes 4 servings)

Estimated average restaurant chicken pot pie
Calories: 1,100
Fat: 78 g
Sodium: 2,100 mg

Our chicken pot pie
Calories: 706
Fat: 38 g
Sodium: 596 mg

SAVE 394 calories, 40 g fat, and 1,504 mg sodium!

More: 5 Guilt-Free Comfort Foods

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