Circle B Kitchen
This is one of the tastiest chicken pies ever. The filling is creamy and luscious and the topping is made from a cheese-y biscuit dough that makes this incredibly fun and delicious. Instead of making this in a pie pan or skillet, you can easily make individual chicken pies in ramekins and use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough to fit each one. You can also cut individual biscuits to place over the top of the skillet if you prefer.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
¼ cup sherry
2 cups chicken stock
¾ cup half and half
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Prep:
1. Cook and cube about ¾ lb boneless chicken or enough to equal about 2 ½ cups
2. Wash, peel and dice the carrots
3. Wash, dry and dice the celery
4. Peel and dice the onion
5. If using mushrooms, wipe them with a paper towel and chop
6. Chop the parsley
7. Measure out the chicken stock, half and half and sherry
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the olive oil and butter in a large-ish sauté pan or heavy skillet over medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add in the dried thyme and veggies and sauté until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to coat the veggies and heat the flour. Add the sherry and cook briefly, about 2 minutes. Add in the chicken stock and stir until the flour is completely incorporated and the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the salt, pepper, and half and half. Simmer for a couple of minutes before stirring in the chicken and fresh parsley.
Pour the chicken and veggie mixture into a 10-inch pie pan, cast iron skillet or similar sized baking dish.
Make the biscuit topping (recipe below) and place it over the filling.
Place the baking dish or skillet on a baking sheet and then place it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the biscuit topping is golden brown and puffy.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Biscuit Topping:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup grated parmesan (or sharp cheddar) cheese (I like to do half parm and half cheddar)
1 tablespoon lightly toasted sesame seeds
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and the cayenne (if using).
Cut in the butter until it creates little pebbles in the flour (a food processor works great for this).
Add the parmesan, cheddar cheese (if using) and sesame seeds and then add in the buttermilk.
Stir until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Knead 6 times on a floured board.
Generously flour the counter top and roll the dough out to about ¼ to 1/3 inch thick. Place your pie plate, skillet or baking dish on top of the dough and trace the outside edge. Using a sharp knife, cut the topping out along the traced edge and remove the excess dough. (Alternately, you can use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit rounds to place on top of the filling.) Gently pick up the dough and place it over the top of the pie filling. Make some slits in the top for steam to escape.