February may be the poster child for comfort food. It’s been dark and cold for months… and in most places, we still have a few more months to go before the promise of spring. To combat this oppressive season, we meet it with Savory and Sweet. Warm, comforting dishes for dinner, with Valentine’s Day chocolates for dessert.
The first savory dinner, Chicken Pot Pie, is a family classic, and is also a good RX for winter colds and flu.
Chicken pot pie can be made with a crust on the top and bottom, just on the top, or just biscuits on the top (sometimes called a chicken stew with biscuits). Chicken pot pie works well with frozen vegetables and root vegetables, another attribute for a February dish. It is easy to double batch and freezes well, making it a Table365 staple.
Sharon’s variation on Chicken Stew with Biscuits by Ina Garten’s from Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.
Serves 8
For the stew:
- 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freely ground black pepper
- 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups shopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- 2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
- 1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup half and half
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
1. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas onions and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve circles (or other shapes) with cookie cutters.
4. Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.
Speedy version:
- Cube meat from a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting chicken breasts.
- Substitute boxed chicken broth for homemade.
- Instead of blanched carrots, use a frozen vegetable mix with any combination of carrots, peas, green beans, pearl onions.
Keep warm!
