Light chicken pot pie with lots of veggies

This better be the last winter meal I make before it gets warm! Here is a lighter take on chicken pot pie – still creamy and delicious but without the heavy cream and pie crust. You’ll need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1 1/2 c milk (I used 2%)
• 3-4 TBS butter
• Heaping 1/2 c flour
• 2 parsnips
• 3-4 carrots
• 1 medium/large head of broccoli
• 1/2 onion
• 4-5 big stems of kale
• 3/4 c frozen cut green beans
• 3/4 c panko bread crumbs
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg

Boil the chicken thighs; shred and set aside. Cut the carrots into smaller-than-bitesize pieces, saute with chopped onions and olive oil. Cut up broccoli, parsnips (same size as carrots), and shred the kale. Cook the carrots and onions for about 15 minutes covered. Add parsnips, kale, broccoli, and green beans and cook until all veggies are tender – about another 10-15 minutes.

Mmm veggies

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour and whisk. It will get too clumpy to stir; at that point add the milk and stir vigorously until combined. When it gets thick, add the broth and whisk to combine. Continue to simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally – it will become the consistency of a thick gravy. Remove from heat and whisk in salt and pepper to taste; add nutmeg. I used as much nutmeg as in this picture, twice – I grind the nutmeg right into the pot so it’s hard to measure, but I would estimate about 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Freshly ground nutmeg!

Combine the chicken, flour mixture, and veggies and mix until all ingredients are well-coated. Spray a casserole or 13x9 glass pan with olive oil. Chop the parsley and mix with the breadcrumbs; spread over the top. Bake covered with tin foil on 350 for 15 minutes, uncovered for 10, and broil for just a minute or two at the end to crisp the breadcrumbs. Serve!

Divided into 4 (big!) servings, this only comes out to about 475 calories per serving.