I love when I find a good recipe on a food blog. It's great to see that someone has already tried it, taken pictures of each step, and provided helpful hints. So, a week or so ago I made a beautiful dinner and decided to take pictures along the way, because I know how helpful it is. The recipe? Rachael Ray's "Chicken Not-pot Pie." It's kind of a one-pot meal. Somehow every time I cook it ends up being a one-pot meal. In fact, if I had the time to write a food blog, that's what I'd call it: One-pot Meals, Throw it all in! Anyway, on to the recipe!
Step 1: Buy a large loaf of crusty artisan bread. I got a delicious honey loaf from Great Harvest Bread Co.
Step 2: Cut a lid out of the top and hollow out the loaf. I left about an 1/2 inch of bread around the sides because it was so tasty, and I wanted some of that flavor in the dish.
Step 3. Cook 3-4 chicken breasts in a pan with Olive oil, garlic salt, and whichever herbs you choose. I used a pesto cube I'd made the week before. It was just the herbs from our garden grated up with olive oil, then frozen in an ice cube tray. One cube did the trick. Then I sprinkled on the garlic salt as I cooked. Don't fret about the measurements. You can judge it as you go. Start small, because you can always add more. The aroma was heavenly as the chicken cooked!
As you cook, you should see a yummy herb crust on the chicken like this.
Step 4. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. This isn't what Rachel said, but I thought that way the whole bottom of the loaf could be covered in chicken, and you never get a piece of plain bread. Once the chicken is cut, line the bottom of the bread bowl with it.
Step 5. On top of the chicken, pour in a small jar of artichokes (drained), a handful of banana peppers or pepper salad (you can get a jar of them next to the pickles in the grocery store), 2 small tomatoes (diced), and 1/2 a bell pepper (diced). Sprinkle the whole thing with a dash of olive oil.
Step 6. Add slices of provolone cheese on top to cover. It took three slices for my loaf of bread, but use however many you need. For those I know and love who can't have milk, this is definitely not a crucial step. You can easily leave it out and it will still be delicious! Next, cover the layer of cheese with fresh spinach leaves, and add one more quick drizzle of olive oil. Then place the lid back on top.
Step 7. At this point, Rachael Ray says you're done, but I wanted a bit a of a toasty crunch on my bread, so I put in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. Check on it every few minutes and pull out when the top looks golden brown and crispy, like this!
Cut the loaf into large wedges, and enjoy! Since it's a one-pot meal, you're done with dinner. I think that's why I make one-pot meals so much. Everything's shoved inside one thing, and then the whole meal's ready to go. How simple is that? Here's a picture of a single slice.
The whole meal was delicious, and very easy to make. I already had all the ingredients except the loaf of bread, so it was simple on my pantry, too. And the crunchy, toasty, outside layer combined with the soft, fluffy inside layer of the bread was divine. Not to mention it was a pretty healthy meal, too. Lots of veggies, and healthy olive oil. And you can always hollow out more bread if you're counting carbs carefully. Hope it turns out as tasty for you as it did for me!
