Thursday, October 3, 2013

Chicken and Biscuits

Who doesn't need a little comfort food from time to time? I certainly do and I know my family does! This creamy stew with chicken and vegetables and topped with warm biscuits surely hits the spot.
I adapted this recipe from one I found in a Barefoot Contessa cookbook. (Don't you just love her?!)
Start by roasting a few chicken breasts
Bring chicken broth to a boil and add carrots and onions
Make a roux of butter and gluten free flour
Once carrots are tender, add broth to roux, then add peas, milk, and chicken

It already looks so yummy at this point. It gets better with biscuits!!

Chicken and Biscuits

For the Stew
About 5 chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless)
Olive oil
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced potatoes, optional
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 cup of gfree flour (I used white rice)
2 cups frozen green peas
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk

For the Biscuits
2 cups gfree flour 
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 stick of cold butter, diced
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 egg beaten with a little water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan, brush olive oil on them. Season with salt and pepper. Roast them for 30 minutes or until done.  Set them aside to cool, then dice.

In a medium - large pot, heat the chicken broth to a boil.  Add in the carrots and onions.( if using potatoes, add them here too) Reduce heat and let cook until carrots are tender.

In a separate large pot, melt butter and whisk in flour. Whisk constantly. Add the broth mixture to the flour mixture, keep stirring. Add the seasoning salt and pepper.

Next add the milk. Continue whisking. Then stir in the frozen peas.  If mixture seems too thick, add a little water until desired consistency is reached. (I had a few leftover boiled potatoes the last time I made this. I diced them and added them in with the peas. Again, potatoes are completely optional)

Stir in the diced chicken.

Pour into a large greased casserole dish.

Bake for 15 minutes.

While it's baking, make the biscuits.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add in the buttermilk and combine. Gently mix in the parsley.

Dump dough on well floured surface. Roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut 12 circles with a round biscuit cutter.

Remove casserole from oven and place the biscuits on top of the chicken mixture. Brush them with the egg wash and return casserole to the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the biscuits are done and stew is bubbly.

I hope you find this as delicious as my family does!