It’s hard to know which picture to start with for this particular pie, but I’ll go the traditional route and show you the outside package of the crust first 😉 This Fall savory pie has so many wonderful things going on with it, trust me, you want to make it! And if you can’t do crust, then buy the pre-made crust from the store (I will close my eyes while you go do that because we have so many recipes for crust on this site, including one reallllly easy one here).
Okay, let’s go inside this pie for a peak… This is considered a savory pie because it includes meat and veggies. Imagine the delightful smell of sweet potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, onions, garlic and apples all smothered in cinnamon and thyme seasonings. And the secret to making this pie taste like a country breakfast is the bacon! Yes, I said it bacon! Okay, don’t get all crazy wild eyed on me now. I say bacon to people here in California and they do this weird shudder dance thing on me. Come on now… bacon, in the right amount, can actually make a dish taste AMAZING. We’re not slathering this pie in bacon… or wrapping it in bacon like you might find at a country fair or something. It’s just a bit of bacon. And trust me, you want it in there!
Maybe it’s a Southern thing, but for me bacon makes me think of breakfast. This savory pie could pass as a breakfast, lunch or dinner, but with the flavor of bacon, fresh apples in cinnamon and then the sweet crust, it takes me to breakfast. This savory pie is also baked in a cast iron skillet. If you haven’t cooked with a cast iron skillet before, see our cast iron skillet post about how to properly care for one. They can turn a normal savory pie into a statement. I believe they make food taste better, but then again, that might be the Southern girl in me speaking 🙂
This hearty chicken apple veggie pie will feed a hungry family of four easily. And if you have leftovers, it freezes very easily and then warms up in a toaster oven. This pie will remind you of a pot pie, but without the soupy insides. Instead, you will be delighted to break into the crust and find an assortment of tasty vegetables. Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Onions and Apples coated in cinnamon and thyme really make this pie a delightful Fall dish. The chicken absorbs all of these sweet flavors and brings the whole pie together. Some of these veggies came from our garden and other items were purchased from Trader Joe’s. I love their apple smoked bacon and low sodium chicken broth. And of course, Honey crisp apples are in and if you can find them, BUY THEM ALL! Wait, I shouldn’t be saying that because then there won’t be any left for me… But seriously, they are the best apple of all time!
This is absolutely one of my favorite Fall dishes and I love making it just to freeze it so we can pull out a piece for a crisp Fall morning or evening. You could also very easily omit the pie crust part of this recipe and just do the meat and veggies in the skillet. The pie crust just makes it extra special and adds a holiday touch for the Fall and winter season! Here’s the recipe for the Harvest Chicken Skillet Sweet Potato Apple Savory Pie! Whew, that’s a mouthful!
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 1/2 hours |
| Servings |
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- 1 Tbsp olive oil We use Trader Joe's California Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Pack of 4-5 Organic Chicken Thighs
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper or Lemon Pepper
- 4 slices Thick Cut Bacon We use Trader Joe's Apple Smoked Bacon
- 2 cups Brussels Sprouts Chopped and quartered
- 1 medium Sweet Potato Chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 medium Onion Chopped
- 1 large Honey Crisp Apple Or two medium ones, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic Minced
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme Or 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 cup Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour For crust
- 2 Tbsp Sugar For crust
- 1 tsp Salt For Crust
- 20 Tbsp Butter For Crust. We use Salted Kerrygold Butter.
- 6 Tbsp Ice cold water For Crust
Ingredients
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- Start with making the pie dough (unless you purchased a pre-made pie dough, then skip to the rest of the recipe). Chill butter in the freezer for up to 30 minutes before preparing pie dough.
- Combine the dry ingredients, the flour, sugar and salt, in a bowl. Add the butter in and either use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend in the butter.
- Chop in the butter or fraisage (smear) the butter leaving large chunks. Allow the flour to just coat the outside of the butter.
- Add one tablespoon of ice cold water at a time and chop it in. You may end up using the entire 6 tablespoons of water but look for the dough to start to clump together and become sticky.
- Form the dough into two balls and wrap or place in a bag and chill in the fridge while you prepare the pie contents.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium low. Clean chicken thighs and place them into the skillet. Add the 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and about 1/2 cup of water and simmer the chicken, turning it after a few minutes to thoroughly cook chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove chicken and place on a plate. Shred the chicken. Remove any water from the skillet and lightly rinse the pan.
- Cook four pieces of bacon in the skillet on medium low heat. Remove bacon when done and break into pieces and set on top of chicken. Leave about 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet to saute vegetables.
- Prepare sweet potatoes, Brussels Sprouts and Onion by chopping into cubes, then add to the skillet and cook in the bacon grease for about 8-10 minutes until tender and the onions turn translucent. Keep turning the veggies to cook both sides.
- Chop the apples into cubes and mince the garlic and add to the skillet along with the cinnamon and thyme to coat. Cook for about 30 seconds to heat the garlic and then add the 1/2 cup chicken broth and allow to cook on low for a few minutes. Add the chicken and bacon into the skillet and turn the veggies and meat until all ingredients are combined.
- If you are baking this in a pie crust, roll out the pie dough to about 13 inches wide. Remove the contents of the skillet into a large bowl. Rinse out the skillet. Use a tablespoon of butter to grease the skillet.
- Use the rolling pin to roll up the dough onto the pin and then unroll it into the skillet. Place the pie dough into the skillet.
- Empty the meat and veggies into the pie crust. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the other pie dough disc to fit on top of the pie. Flute the edges of the pie by tucking the top crust under the other crust around the edge, and then use two knuckles of one hand and the index finger from the other hand to create a jagged design in the edge. Cut slits into the top of the pie.
- Create an egg wash by scrambling an egg with two tablespoons of water. Paint the egg wash on top of the pie dough with either a paper towel or a brush. Bake the pie in the heated oven for about one hour. Check the pie mid way and turn the skillet a half turn to bake evenly. The pie is done when the top crust is golden brown.
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