Chicken & Biscuits

This is like a poor man’s version of Chicken Pot Pie, for when you don’t have the time or inclination to make pie crust for dinner. (Personally, I prefer biscuits to pie on most days.) It’s homey, warming comfort food, great for a cold winter night, and quick enough to get on the table after work.

Any biscuit recipe would work for this recipe, including store-bought biscuit dough if you’re in a big hurry. Because you end up eating the biscuits in the stew, you don’t really need a fluffy, flaky biscuit for this, though. I prefer something a little more substantial, like the following cream biscuits adapted from The New Best Recipe.

Cream Biscuits

Yields: 8 biscuits
Time to make: ~25 minutes

What you need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt
2. Stir in the cream until well mixed
3. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead briefly to form a sticky dough
4. Pat down into a thick circle
5. Use a water glass or biscuit cutter to cut out 8 rounds
6. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden brown

Note: This dough is pretty sticky, so it pays to coat the inside of your biscuit cutter with nonstick cooking spray.

Chicken & Biscuits

Serves: 4
Time to make: ~30 minutes

What you need:

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper and cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetables, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tbsp. flour
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1-2 biscuits per serving

Note: Peas and carrots are traditional for this dish. I prefer a nice mix of vegetables, though, so I also add broccoli, leeks and mushrooms. Feel free to vary the mix to suit your tastes.

1. Melt the butter over medium-high
2. Add the chicken and brown on all sides
3. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until translucent
4. Add the vegetables and brown
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the flour and stir 1 minute
6. Whisk in the wine, stock and cream, and bring to a simmer
7. Cover and let cook until the chicken is cooked through, which shouldn’t take too long
8. Ladle into deep bowls and top each bowl with 1-2 biscuits to serve

(Adapted from a recipe in The Best 30-Minute Recipe.)

About these ads

Tagged: Biscuits, Breads, Chicken, Comfort food, Cooks Illustrated, Entrees, Home-style