Does this recipe work for me? I’m not sure…

With Mom living here with us now, I comb the internet and my recipe books for low salt alternatives to change up our lunch and dinner menus a bit. I found a low-salt chicken pot pie recipe and tried it. It was the first time I’ve ever made one.

It wasn’t an abject failure, but it wasn’t perfect, either. I think the recipe is good and I LOVED the crust. But it was too liquidy and I found out I don’t really like pearl onions. Also, since I don’t like mushrooms, I didn’t put them in, instead increasing the other veggies. It also made a big batch. So I thought I’d post the recipe here and ask you for help, because I’d like to make it again. But I don’t do well when I experiment, so I need to know if I can get away with what I want to do. The recipe is below. My questions are:

1. Can I reduce the chicken stock by 1/3 to 1/2? Or should I increase the flour?
2. Can I substitute regular onions for the pearl onions?
3. What other veggies can I use as a mushroom substitute? Potatoes? Squash?
4. Can I mess with the seasoning? The flavor was distinctly mid-eastern. Maybe that was the Turmeric (which also colored my counter top and freaked me out until the cleanser got it off.)

Low-Salt Chicken Pot Pie (from heart.org)

Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 clove crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme OR
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh oregano OR
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh tarragon OR
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 2 tsp. salt-free, all-purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1 cup carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 cup crimini or button mushrooms, quartered
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 cup Pernod, (optional) (I didn’t use this.)
• 3 cup lower-sodium chicken stock
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, all visible fat discarded, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Crust
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt, (optional)
• 1/2 cup fat-free margarine spread (I used unsalted butter.)
• 3 Tbsp. ice water

1. Cut up the chicken. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot. Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, tarragon, bay leaf, turmeric, salt-free all-purpose seasoning, pepper, salt and sauté for one minute. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and sauté for two minutes. Stir in the flour and coat the vegetables well. Add the Pernod, if using, and chicken stock and stir to blend well. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Stir in the chicken and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the peas and parsley. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a 3-quart oval casserole. Cover loosely with foil and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside. To make the crust, place the flour (and salt, if using) in a medium-sized bowl and add the margarine spread, cut into one-inch pieces. Cut the margarine spread into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter (this can all be done in a food processor) until crumbly. Avoid over-working the dough. Add the ice water and mix (pulse in a food processor) until the dough just comes together. Roll the dough between two pieces of film wrap until it matches the size of the casserole. (Hold the dish above the dough to check for correct size.) Peel off the top layer of wrap and bring the casserole next to the dough. Lift the dough by the bottom wrap and use it to help invert the crust onto the casserole. Trim the outside edges of the crust and gently press the dough so that it fits perfectly around the inside perimeter of the casserole dough. Cut eight, evenly spaced 1-inch vents in the dough as demarcations of portions and to release steam while baking. Place the casserole on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.

So what do you think? Should I find another recipe? Do you have a chicken pot pie recipe I could adapt to be lower salt? Cooking–so not my strong suit. But we eat at home most of the time now, so I’d better figure this out. Lol.