Being that I’m lactose intolerant and my husband has the food preferences of a five-year-old, it can be a battle to eat in my house. Add on to that trying to eat healthy and I’m completely tempted to throw in the towel and eat Subway for the rest of our lives.
We do on occasion hit jackpot with new recipes. Okay, possibly only once, maybe twice. And even then, Jethro doesn’t always like it because “it tasted better last time.” (He has no concept that food doesn’t always taste the same every time like it does when it’s mass-produced. YOU SEE WHAT I’M WORKING WITH HERE?!?)
*ahem* Anyway, one of our few wins have been Chicken-n-Biscuits Potpie from the Food Network Kitchens Cookbook. It’s hearty, tasty and chicken so Jethro likes it; and its non-dairy, homemade comfort food, which I like.
This is probably not a great recipe for the summer, but I refuse to let the weather dictate my life. Screw you, Texas weather, I eat what I want when I want!
Add a margarita to the meal. Instant summertime food.
Please note, the following photos are not hugely appetizing. But they’re real and what your food is really going to look like. I love gorgeous pictures of food as much as the next guy, but it makes me sad when my food does not turn out like that….
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Chicken-n-Biscuits Potpie
(adapted from the Food Network Kitchens Cookbook)
serves 4-6
Filling
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, about 3lbs *
4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned **
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices ***
5 button mushrooms, quartered ***
1 rib celery (with leaves), cut into 1/2 inch slices ***
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley ****
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill ****
Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup milk, plus additional for brushing
* I used skinless, boneless.
** Guess which one I used.
*** Or chopped to tiny bits so Princess Jethro will eat it. Or use baby carrots if you’re lazy.
**** Fresh makes a huge difference.
Preheat the over to 450.
Prepare the filling
Put the chicken in medium saucepan, adding just enough broth to cover them. Bring to a boil and then cover and put on very low. Poach the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is firm to the touch.
(It’s okay if it’s still a little pink, it will cook in the pie. Don’t let your sissy husband see the almost cooked chicken, lest he swear you will die from salmonella or histoplasmosis.)
Remove the chicken and set aside to cool, reserving the broth. Shred of dice the cooled chicken, throwing away any icky bits if you used bone-in breasts.
Melt the butter on medium-high in a 9-inch cast iron skillet, or other heavy oven-proof skillet. (I’ve used a dutch oven and it works just as well.) Add carrots, mushrooms, celery and salt, cooking for about 4 minutes until the vegetables turn a light brown. Add onions and cook for another minute. Mix in the flour, stirring and cooking for another minute. Pour in the reserved chicken broth and stir with a whisk, continuing to stir until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and keep at a simmer until thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, parsley, pepper and dill. Set aside.
Prepare the biscuit dough
Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Using your hands, rub 3 tablespoons of the butter into the mixture, working it in until it is sandy in consistency. Work in the remaining 5 tablespoons until the dough starts to form into bits, the size of peas. Add the lemon zest to the milk and then pour the milk mixture into flour, stirring to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and pat it into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle and then fold the dough into thirds. (Like a letter.) Pat the dough into a 10-ich wide disk and cut into pieces. You can also leave it as one piece if you prefer.
Make the pie
Put the chicken mixture on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Lay the pieces on the filling, leaving little space into between. (If using one piece, cut a vent hole in the center and lay the dough over the top of the filling.) Lightly brush the dough with milk. Put the skillet on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the pie rest 5 minutes before serving.
Kind of a Mess 
That chicken pot pie looks yummy. I got to try and make one.
“Add a margarita to the meal. Instant summertime food.” Amen to this! The waitress (& my fiance) looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered a bowl of chicken tortilla soup while sitting on the patio in Scottsdale’s 115 degree weather last month. I already had my margarita in hand though! Clearly they were not aware of this rule.
As an Arizonian, she should have known better. She must be a Communist.
Oh, sweet lord, pot pie is like crack to me. Unfortunately, no one else in my house feels the same way. Sad face. Because that looks amazing!
LMAO “Being that I’m lactose intolerant and my husband has the food preferences of a five-year-old…”- I remember trying to feed him when we lived together. It was always a blessing when his mom would send him home with casseroles to freeze.
I have no idea how he’s managed to stay alive this long. I sent a picture of him eating salad to his sister and she told me that I was magic.
This looks delicious! Will have to try it soon. 🙂
My fiance wouldn’t touch this because the mushrooms & celery. And I would have to limit the number of carrots. He is VERY picky, and therefore, hard to cook for. But I think it looks quite yummy 🙂
oh, and I forgot about the onions. He won’t eat those either.
Please note that the mushrooms were omitted, the amount of onions and celery were reduced and chopped into itty bitty indistinguishable bits, and the carrots were baby carrots left whole so that Princess Jethro could pick them out easily.
We might be married to the same man.
Ha ha, no doubt. For my FI, its a texture issue. He loves the flavors of all those things (minus the mushrooms, he will not eat ‘fungus’) but he can not stand the way they feel in his mouth. Add to that list tomatos (but he’ll eat tomato sauce, as long as there are no chunks of tomatos in it), peppers (again loves the flavor, not the texture), I could go on and on. Oh and salsa has to be pureed like taco sauce. (and I’m going to give my guy the nickname Country just FYI :-))
I have to say, I call mine Princess Michael as well because of his pickiness. Trying to plan dinner is the most painful process with this one. “Here’s something delicious and healthy that I made just for you because I know you like it. Oh, you stopped for fried chicken on the way home.” I have a constant eye twitch, thanks to Princess Michael. You make me laugh. Alyssa.
I wandered over from APW and want to stay! 🙂
I sent this recipe (no mushroom! add peas!) to my sweetie and she made it for us last night. YUM! Pix below.
I am so marrying the right one.
YES you are!!! I’m so glad y’all liked it!!
And please stay. We’re nice here!