We were at the store the other day, and we saw some really fresh looking Okra, which served as the watershed moment that generated this idea. When we think of okra, our minds immediately go to Gumbo (mainly because “Okra” is such a frequent answer to the crossword clue, “Gumbo Pod.”)…so we decided to play with Gumbo flavours. But, we weren’t in the mood for a stew, so we changed it up a bit.
The most obvious change is that we served it in a pie crust instead of with rice. But to do that, we also had to change up the texture by making it much thicker and significantly less saucy than a stew. So, we began by dicing up a ton of fragrant veggies and sautéing them before adding in our ground chicken and tomato paste. Then, we sprinkled and stirred in our flour before pouring in a little chicken stock. In the end, the pie was still pretty saucy (not the easiest to remove slices from the pie pan), but it held together more admirably than we had feared it would. And, just as we hoped, the butteriness of the pie crust was a great complement to the spicy and strong flavours of our filling!
We served our pie alongside Garlic and Pepper Sauteed Green Beans.
Time: 75 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Pie Crust (store bought or Homemade)
- Ground Chicken
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Okra
- Garlic
- Celery
- Jalapeno
- Tomato
- Tomato Paste
- 3/4 Cup of Chicken Stock
- 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Ground Cayenne
- Ground Mustard
Method:
- Dice your onion, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and jalapeno.
- Heat your butter in a large pan, and add your diced veggies. Sauté until they soften.
- As your veggies cook, chop your tomato, and slice your okra. When your veggies are ready, add in your tomato and okra, and stir to combine. Sprinkle in some ground cayenne and mustard as well.
- When your tomato begins to lose its form, and your okra turns a more vibrant green, add your chicken in, and mix it in. Break it up into smaller pieces as you go, and allow to cook fully.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a pie dish with a little oil. Then, spread your pie crust into the pie plate, and set aside.
- When your chicken has cooked and begun to brown, add in your tomato paste, and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle in your all purpose flour, and stir to combine and let it coat your ingredients.
- Pour in your chicken stock, and allow to simmer and thicken.
- Once your gumbo filling has thickened, scoop it into your pie crust, and spread it to the edges.
- Stash your pie in the oven for 40 minutes.
- When your pie crust is golden brown, remove from the oven.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
