Want to be a star during your next four-wheeling event? A good meal – nay, a great meal – will put you at the top of everyone’s list. The most exciting locations and exhilarating trails can’t compare to a sumptuous meal. Well, have I got one for you.
The ingredients are relatively inexpensive. The meal is easy to prepare, and it cooks quickly. The results will have your friends raving for weeks afterward. (Days, anyway.) What is it?
It’s Tom’s Special Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie. Don’t scrunch up your nose. This isn’t like those abominations found in the frozen section of the supermarket. This is a homestyle meal cooked right in camp.
I got this recipe from a buddy about a year ago. With slight modifications (garlic powder, poultry seasoning and onion) I turned this into an amazing dish. Prefer a little zip? With the right spices, you can put a Cajun, Korean, or any other spin on this.
All ingredients can be found at the grocery store. As for the canned goods, look for pull tab/pop top type lids. Those don’t require a can opener. (Though I recommend packing one anyway. It’s bound to come in handy sometime.)
This recipe is designed for a 12-inch Dutch Oven. Adjust accordingly for a different size of oven.
Now, dig in!
Tom’s Famous Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie
Start to finish: About 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4 easily
Ingredients:
- Two 14.5-ounce cans of mixed vegetables, with potatoes
- One 10.75-ounce can, cream of chicken soup
- One 10.75 can cream of mushroom soup
- Two 12.5-ounce cans of white chunk chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- One 10-ounce roll Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough (eight biscuits)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tsp garlic power
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 onion – diced
Prepare the Dutch oven as you normally would. For a 12-inch-wide oven, that typically means nine briquettes below and 15 or 16 briquettes on the lid.
Open all the cans. Don’t drain the vegetables but drain the chicken, and don’t add water to the soup.
Mix the vegetables, chicken soup, mushroom soup, chicken cubes and onion in the Dutch oven. Add garlic power, poultry seasoning and salt or pepper to taste. Cook over coals until warmed through but not boiling and stir occasionally. That will be about 15 minutes.
Arrange the biscuit slices on top of the vegetable mixture in a circle around the edge and put the last one in the middle. Put the lid on the Dutch oven, and place the hot coals on top. Bake until the biscuits are cooked through, which will be in 15 -30 minutes.
Feel free to check the mixture after about 10 minutes. If the pot is starting to boil, move some of the coals from under the oven to on top of the lid. Check again in about five minutes. The biscuits should be browning nicely. Total cooking time will vary depending on the weather and how hot the coals are.
Pull the Dutch oven off the coals when the biscuits are golden brown. Set the oven in a safe place, taking care not to burn yourself.
Now start serving your amazing meal. Using a large ladle or spoon, scoop out some of the pot pie mixture and a biscuit for each guest. A bowl is useful, but I have served the chicken pot pie on plates. Guests may wonder about a bottom crust. There isn’t one, of course, but that’s OK. Unlike the mass-produced pot pies, this version is light on crust and heavy on the good stuff.
Save leftovers, unopened packages for later
The chicken pot pie tastes nearly as good reheated. Like any other food, leftovers must be refrigerated.
If events prevent you from making your pot pie, bake the biscuits for breakfast the next day. Brown them in the Dutch oven and serve with honey. They’re really good! Take any unopened cans home. They will make a good meal later.
As easy as this process is, pay attention to which cans are drained and which aren't. The right fluid content is important.
I’ve made the chicken pot pie dish several times, and everyone thought it was fantastic. It’s simple to make and very tasty. Give this a try during your next camping trip. Bring a taste of homestyle cooking to the great outdoors.
Pro Tips:
For a potluck, cut the biscuits in half before placing them on top of the mixture. Everyone can have a big spoonful of the mixture with some biscuit.
If your helper accidently drains one of the cans of mixed vegetables, fill the can up with beer and dump it in the pot. Does not improve the flavor but saves your pot pie.
# # #
