Recipe via http://recipefairy.wordpress.com/
Recipes are rarely perfect from the start; minor tweaks and personal touches usually serve to make them even better. This chicken stew, however, is almost as perfect as it gets. With a velvety sauce, slightly crisp vegetables, and crumbly herb-laced biscuits on top, it is comfort food at its finest. By the way, don’t be fooled by the name. While I’m enchanted by the moniker “chicken stew” this is really just code for a glorified pot pie.
Because we had two leftover chicken carcasses and plenty of leftover chicken meat, I made the stock from scratch and used shredded, leftover chicken rather than roasting the breasts. While this certainly enhanced its flavor, I think it would still be wonderful with roasted chicken breasts and canned stock. I wouldn’t change a thing about the flavors and textures of this dish. The only reason I prefaced my praise about its perfection with the word “almost” is that it contains an ungodly amount of butter. I’m determined, however, to work on that problem next time I make it. If I’m successful, I’ll share my results with you. In the meantime, I urge you to pull this out on a cold, rainy (or snowy!) night this December. I promise it will make you feel warmed and comforted.
Serves 8
For the Stew:
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
3 tbsp. olive oil5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tbsp. (1 1/2) sticks unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
1 10-oz. package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
For the Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil.
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through.
Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin.
Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4-6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-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 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, and the heavy cream.
Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well.
Place the stew in a 10x13x2 inch oval or rectangular baking dish.
Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.
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 12 circles with a 2 ½ 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 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.
From Barefoot Contessa – Family Style
