Chick'n Pot Pie

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We ate at Vegenation in Las Vegas during our Southwest vacation, and their Chicken Pot Pie Gnocchi was amazing! The Chicky Chicky Bang Bang sandwich came in a close second, followed by the Strawberry Crepes and Lemon Merengue Tart. But oh, the pot pie. It was a comfort food for Larry growing up. For one of our early dates, I made Chicken Pot Pie Nouveau for Larry from the New Basics cookbook; it used pearl onions, snap peas, sliced carrots, fresh rosemary, and puff pastry. I've wanted to make it again - and now I can! Below is an adapted version of a recipe inspired by vegenation pot pie. Larry's sisters Cyndy and Laurie made this when we visited from Vegas a few days later. Serve with garlic bread! (Shown here with delicious wild rice salad.)

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
10 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 T canola oil

Liquids:
1/2 cup flour 
2 T arrowroot
1 cup water
3 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup plant-based milk

Seasoning:
4 T nutritional yeast
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried sage (or 4T fresh)
2 tsp Kirkland 21 spice seasoning (optional)

1 bag frozen peas & carrots
1 C fake chicken, cut in large chunks
  (Gardein, or TJs chick'n tenders or crispy tenders work)

Optional (but recommended): Pie crust 

Notes: The original recipe at Veganation used gnocchi, but I prefer potatoes (easier, healthier). Cyndy also found this was great inside of a pie crust; I tried it and agree; we always do pie crust now; sometimes mini pies (in ramekins), sometimes regular pies.

Instructions

Saute onion, potato, and celery about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook a few more more minutes. Mix flour and arrowroot and water into a slurry. Add liquids (slurry, broth, and milk), bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add seasoning and frozen vegetables and simmer 10 more minutes. Add chick'n and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve immediately, with sprinkled fresh herbs as garnish OR put in pie plate and top with pie crust and bake  -- or freeze (in the unbaked crust) and to bake the pie at a later time. Optionally brush some vegan butter on the crust before baking to help it brown.  Bake for about 45 min at 375!  Check and add a little more time until the crust is lightly browned.

Pot pie on our 21st anniversary!



The first time we made it, with Cyndy & Laurie, w/ homemade gnocchi & coconut milk:


Mix of regular and mini pies, pre- and post-cooking for Thanksgiving 2025:






Fond memories of Vegenation...



Oh, back to Vegenation: the lemon merengue tart! Very lemony. The chef said the custard was half sugar, half fresh lemon juice, with LOTS of corn starch. The merengue was aquafaba of course - a bit runnier than I've made.








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