Chicken Pot Pie

Alright, I must be on a roll with recipes these days but when I posted a picture of this to facebook, I had a few requests for the recipe.

I really enjoy some good Fall comfort food. The best part about this recipe? It’s ‘light,’ so you don’t have to feel guilty digging in. It also requires quite a few steps it seems, but it’s well worth it and really not that hard at all.

*It’s best to mix and shape the biscuits after making the filling and just before baking the casserole. The filling must be warm when you top it or the biscuits will be gummy.

Filling:

6 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

salt

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup half-and-half

1 cup frozen green peas

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

pepper

Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup buttermilk

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. For the filling: combine the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, 10-12 minutes.

3. Stir in the sherry, broth, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low,k cover and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the thickest part registers 160 degrees, 10-12 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool. Return the sauce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and half and half together, then whisk into the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce until thickened, about 1 minute. Off the heat, discard the bay laves, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite sized pieces. Stir the chicken into the sauce and then pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.

6. For the biscuits: whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter and buttermilk together. gently stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain.

7. To assemble and bake: pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Bake until the biscuits are golden and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy and let me know if you make it!