Chicken Pot Pie with No-Roll Crust (Solar Oven)

Chicken Pot Pie

The first cool evening of fall deserves a pot pie, and this chicken pot pie is unique: there is no crust to roll out. The topping is a simple flour-and-milk batter that you pour right over the chicken filling, and the sun does the rest! This one serves the whole family with 6-8 servings.

It also turns out that a pot pie is a great match for My Solar Oven. All that steam that would escape into your kitchen stays in the chamber, and it keeps the batter crust soft underneath while the top turns golden. Six to eight servings of comfort food, perfect for a fall evening!

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 to 55 minutes (conventional) / 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes (My Solar Oven)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
• 2 cans mixed vegetables, drained
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

Step 1: Fire Up the Sun

My Solar Oven: Set the oven out on flat ground in full sun, unfold the reflectors, lock each tab, and aim it. Give it 15 to 30 minutes to preheat while you put the filling together.

Conventional oven: Preheat to 350°F.

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

The recipe calls for boiled chicken, and plain simmered chicken is exactly right here. Simmer 2 large chicken breasts in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes, until cooked through, then chop or shred the meat. Already have a rotisserie chicken or leftovers? Even better (this is what we used)! Skip straight to Step 3, and set the meat on the counter during preheat so it isn't fridge-cold when it goes in the pan.

Step 3: Mix the Filling

In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, drained mixed vegetables, cream of celery soup, chicken broth, chopped onion, poultry seasoning if you're using it, and a good grind of pepper.

Step 4: Fill the Dish

Pour the filling into a greased dark metal baking dish, about 9 by 13 inches. Dark metal soaks up the sun's heat and holds it, which matters more the longer the bake.

Step 5: Make the Batter

Whisk the flour, melted butter, baking powder, salt, and milk in a separate bowl until smooth. This is the whole crust. No cutting in cold butter, no chilling, no rolling pin. Easy peasy!

Step 6: Pour and Bake

My Solar Oven: Pour the batter evenly over the filling and do not stir. Using oven mits, put the dish on the rack, close the glass door, and slide the locking tabs until the seal is snug. Plan on 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, re-aiming every 15 to 30 minutes.

Conventional oven: Bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes.

Step 7: Check for Doneness

The pie is done when the crust is golden and set and the filling is bubbling around the edges. If you want certainty, poke an instant-read thermometer into the center: 165°F means it is done. Give it 10 minutes to settle and rest before you scoop it to allow it to firm up a bit.

Notes & Tips

• Don't stir the batter into the filling. It feels wrong the first time. Pour it on top and walk away; the batter bakes into a crust sitting on a bubbling filling, and stirring is how you end up with dumpling soup instead.
• Trust the bubbles, not the clock. Cooking with My Solar Oven runs on the sun, not timers. If the crust is pale and the filling isn't bubbling at the edges, give it more time time, regardless of what the clock says.
• Expect some fog on the glass. This filling throws off plenty of steam, and a sealed chamber traps it. That trapped steam is the reason the crust stays tender instead of drying out. If the glass fogs and you can't see the dish, open the door briefly on your next re-aim, let it clear, and close it back up snug.
• Clouds just add time. A pot pie full of broth and vegetables is one of the most forgiving things you can bake. A slow stretch under clouds means a longer cook, not a ruined one.
• The onion cooks in the bake. Raw chopped onion goes in as-is and softens in the oven, so no stovetop step needed. Chop these finely and uniformly so they cook completely and evenly!
• Poultry seasoning is optional but worth it. A half teaspoon in the filling is the difference between "chicken and vegetables" and "pot pie." Sage, thyme, and marjoram are what's in the jar, and they are all welcome here.

If a bright afternoon has been going to waste, put it to work. My Solar Oven turns it into a delicious and bubbling pot pie with zero fuel and zero kitchen heat!