Chicken Biscuit Stew dinner feeds your hungry crew!
Chicken Biscuit Stew is the perfect dinner to feed your hungry crew! This one pot meal will become a favorite of your friends and family. Made with a nutritious chicken bone broth, my recipe is a modified version of a pot pie. It is a quick and simple to make and dinner can be on the table in less than 45 minutes. To save time, I use the broth and meat from making chicken bone broth, Trader Joe’s frozen vegetables and buttermilk biscuit dough.
I’ll take that to go!
Today’s plastic container is yesteryear’s crust. Pies are the original “to go” meal. Food enclosed in bread or crust travelled well and didn’t require anything other than hands to hold it and eat it. Today, we have many versions of this practical meal such as empanada, calzone, and bao.
Pot pie is a variation of these types of pastries. It is a term used to describe a meal made in a pot – no surprise there – and covered with a crust. Such a simple concept and yet, what a history!
Lively Bird Pie – A Recipe from the Roman Empire
The tradition of encasing savory meats and vegetables in a bread or crust goes back a long way. Let’s travel for a moment to the days of the Roman Empire. A banquet table was not complete without a meat pie. A live bird pie was a common offering. When the pie was cut, the imprisoned fowl flew out to either the delight or terror of the guests. This was a macabre form of entertainment or a 007 type of weapon designed to cause an enemy’s early demise. Thankfully, the practice of serving live bird pie has not become a tradition in our modern world.
Blackbird Bird Pie – 16th Century Political Commentary
Sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing. Oh! Isn’t that a dainty dish to set before a king?….
This 16th century nursery rhyme is from the days of king Henry VIII of England. This was a time when the country was sorting itself out politically and religiously.
….The king was in the counting-house counting out his money. The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey. The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes. Along came a blackbird and snipped off her nose.
Historians surmise that the queen is a reference to Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife. The maid is his second wife, Ann Boleyn. Catherine is “off in the parlor” and out of the action while Henry is having his dalliance with Ann. Henry divorces Ann and has her executed (nice guy). Her nose is “snipped off” (lovely vision) which is a representation of the disapproval of the church.
Modern Times – Frozen Dinners
Whether is it baked in a pie tin or a pot, “pot pies” have become a staple comfort food in American cuisine. In particular, Chicken Pot Pie has become a classic. It’s popularity is due to the introduction of frozen meals in the 1950’s. Women, in particular, responded to this with rave reviews. They were the ones responsible for feeding the family. A frozen meal went from the oven to the table with no preparation. This was a practical solution for those not adept at cooking or had little time to prepare a meal due to a full time job. There were many companies producing these meals. In 1951, the C.A. Swanson company introduced a frozen pot pie. The company coined the term TV Dinner. A massive marketing campaign made their frozen food a cultural icon.
No matter how you top it, you can’t go wrong. Pastry crust, corn bread, mashed potatoes or biscuits are all great choices to cover the dish.
A dinner of Chicken Biscuit Stew is a terrific way to feed a few or a crew! It’s the perfect one pot meal. There is no need for a left-over container – I’m willing to bet you won’t have any! If you do, place the lid back on the pot and put it into the fridge. Pop it into the oven to reheat and enjoy!
Chicken Biscuit Stew
Equipment
- 1 pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken bone broth heated until hot, not boiling
- 4 cups shredded chicken, white and dark meat
- 4 oz sliced mushroom
- 4 oz chopped onion
- 1 bag (16 oz) Trader Joe Soycutash defrost
- 1 bag (14 oz) Trader Joe Colorful Carrot Coins defrost
- 2 pkg Trader Joe Buttermilk Biscuits
- 5 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp white flour
- 1 tbsp salt salt to taste
- 1 tbsp pepper add to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°
- Gather your ingredients
- Over a low heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter in the pot. Add the diced onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until the onion is transparent. Add the remaining 3 tbsp. and heat through until melted
- To make a roux, add the flour and stir until the butter is absorbed. Do not let the roux brown or burn. It should be a white creamy color.
- Add 4 cups of the broth and stir until combined with the roux
- Add the shredded chicken and vegetables
- Add the rest of the broth until the ingredients are covered. The level of the liquid is not higher than the food. Heat through until ready to put into the oven. Do not let liquid boil. The stew should be firm yet hydrated by the gravy to give it some bounce
- Arrange biscuit dough around the top. Leave enough room between each round for expansion. The dough shouldn't sink into the liquid. Do not cover with a lid.
- Place into oven and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until the dough is browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve
Notes
