Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Stew With Biscuits

Ok, first of all, I realized (too late) that I oopsed and forgot to take pictures. And since this was a nasty work week and then I got sick -- and I still have no voice -- the options for me cooking "real" food that I haven't already posted were minimal.

But this is one of my favorite wintertime recipes. I hadn't made it yet this year, but as soon as I did, I realized that I need to make it more often again! If you're up for more, go check out this week's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday with Blessed With Grace for more fun recipes and kitchen tips!

Chicken Stew with Biscuits:

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 1/2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
7 T unsalted butter (butter substitute - Crisco or Earth Balance for dairy free)
1 1/3 c milk (rice milk for dairy free)
1 carrot, medium dice
2 stalks celery, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
4 c chicken stock (low sodium)
2 T parsley, chopped (tarragon and sage also make great additions)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Poach chicken, then shred to bite sized pieces.

Heat heavy soup pot (wider is better to fit more biscuits) over medium heat and add 4 T butter. Add carrot and celery and saute until softened (4-5 minutes). Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/3 c flour to make roux, cooking 2 more minutes.

Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes until sauce is like a thick soup. Add 1/3 c milk and the poached chicken pieces. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add parsley.

While sauce is thickening, make biscuit dough and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 2 c flour, baking powder, and 1 t salt in large bowl. Heat 3 T butter and 1 c milk in small sauce pan, then pour over flour mixture. Gently mix together until it just forms a ball. Roll in your hand to make ~10 biscuits (flatten slightly).

Once the chicken mixture is ready, add biscuits atop the mixture (if your soup pot is too narrow to fit or won't go in the oven, move mixture to an oven safe Pyrex type pan). Don't fill all the space (although some touching is fine), so that the biscuits will cook properly.

Cover the pot (use tin foil, if necessary) and place in the 350 oven. Cook 10-15 minutes until the biscuits are firm and puffy, then serve.

Number of Servings: 10

In fact, my mouth is now watering thinking about this. Enjoy!



PS Yes, I did make this dairy free with soy milk and Crisco (for Little Miss), and it was fine. Not as good as the original, but pretty darn good nonetheless!