Chicken Stew with Biscuits

I was craving a chicken dish topped with biscuits the other day. We were getting some of the rain and wind from hurricane Irene and it just felt like a great day for some comfort food. I started searching for a recipe and came across this one on Food Network by Ina Garten.

I changed a few things based on what I had on hand. I certainly wasn't going out in the nasty weather, that was for sure! This recipe hit the spot - kind of like chicken pot pie but with biscuits on top. :) I would make again but with a few changes. Using a rotisserie chicken from the store would have made this recipe a bit easier. The biscuits didn't spread out very much so I might play around with the biscuit recipe as well. The original recipe called for fresh parsley, which I didn't have. Will definitely try it with fresh next time.

Below are the changes I made to the recipe. You can click on the link above to see the original recipe.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 stick butter
1 cup yellow onion
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
1/2 tsp dried parsley

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash


Directions:

I parboiled my chicken breasts for about 10-15 minutes until they were no longer pink inside. The last 5 minutes or so of the cooking time I tossed in the chopped carrots to cook along with the chicken. Toss in a vegetable bouillon cube, salt and pepper into the water the chicken is cooking in.

Remove chicken breasts from water and shred. I saved the water the chicken was cooking in and used as my chicken stock since I didn't have any. Reheat the water and toss in another bouillon cube. Set aside once dissolved.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute 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 shredded chicken, carrots, peas, and parsley. Mix well.



Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 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. Mix in the parsley. 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 with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.



Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.



I served this dish with a simple salad. Enjoy!