If you love savory pies but dislike the labor-intensive crust part…this recipe is for YOU!  It relies on a fabulous crumble topping that punches up the flavor while reducing the workload.  Give a try & I guarantee that this dish will become one of your favs!  Added Bonus:  It’s super kid-friendly as well! Serves 4

Ingredients

Filling

• 1-1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (could sub in breasts as well)
• 2 c chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 med carrots, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 6-8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 t soy sauce
• 1 t tomato paste
• 2 T butter, unsalted
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 t lemon juice
• 2 T parsley, minced
• 1/2 c frozen peas

Crumble Topping

• 1 c flour
• 1 t baking powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Dash or two of cayenne pepper
• 3 T butter, unsalted, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3/8 c + 1 T heavy cream

Bring chicken & broth to simmer in covered large pot over medium heat.  Cook until chicken is just done, 8-12 min.  Transfer chicken to large bowl.  Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup & reserve, you should have at least 2 c (see NOTES below).  Do not wash out pot.

Heat oven to 450 deg.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper & cayenne pepper in food processor.  Add butter pieces over top of flour.  Pulse 4-8 times until butter is incorporated into flour mixture (should look like coarse cornmeal).  Transfer flour mixture to bowl & stir in Parmesan.  Add cream & mix with your hands until just combined.  Break off small, irregular-shaped pieces & place onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until fragrant & starting to brown, 10-13 min.  Set aside.

Heat 1/2 T olive oil in large pot (the same one you used to boil chicken) over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onions, carrots, celery, salt & pepper.  Cover & cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5-7 min.  While veggies are cooking, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Transfer cooked veggies to bowl with chicken.  Set aside.

Heat remaining 1/2 T olive oil in same pot over medium heat until shimmering.  Add mushrooms; cover & cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their juices, about 5 min.  Stir in soy sauce & tomato paste.  Increase heat to med-high & cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are quite brown, & dark fond forms on bottom of pan, about 5 min.  Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken & veggies.  Set aside.

In same pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add chicken & veggies to pot.  Add flour & mix until well combined.  Stir in 2c reserved broth & milk scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits.  Bring to simmer.  Simmer until sauce fully thickens, 1 min.  Remove from heat & stir in lemon juice & parsley.

Pour mixture into a 2 qt baking or casserole dish.  Scatter crumble topping over filling.  Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling, 12-15 min.  Serve & enjoy!

NOTES: Here are two time-saving tips that I’ve experimented with…

1. Straining the Broth – I have skipped this step plenty of times & noticed no significant difference in taste.  The only difference is that straining removes any scum created during the process of boiling the chicken.
2. Pan-Fry the Chicken – I have also skipped the boiling the chicken part.  Instead, I cut raw chicken into cubes, pan-fried them & then added the cooked cubes to the sauce.  If you decide to do this, you’ll need a bit more premade chicken broth (the boiling phase does create delicious broth).

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.