Scott’s Chicken and Biscuits Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts, skin-on, bone-in
1-2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. Salt and 1 tsp. Pepper
2 tbsp. Butter
1 cup Yellow Onion, diced
½ cup Celery, diced
½ cup Carrots, diced *
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup dry White Wine
¼ tsp. dried Thyme
4 cups Chicken Broth
3 tbsp. very cold Water *
3 tbsp. Cornstarch *
¼ cup heavy Cream, Milk or Half & Half
2-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
½ cup frozen Peas *
1 tbsp. fresh Thyme
For Biscuits:
2 cups Flour
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
4 tbsp. Butter, cubed
2/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 tbsp. chopped Parsley
1 tbsp. chopped Dill or Tarragon
1 cup of Milk, Cream or Half & Half
1 tbsp. melted Butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Rub olive oil on all sides of chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken and roast chicken on a baking sheet for 28-30 minutes or until cooked through. Temperature should be 165°. Set aside to cool.
Turn oven up to 425°. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion, celery, carrots*, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté in the butter and then turn flame down to medium-low, cover pot and allow vegetables to cook for 5-7 mins until tender.
Remove lid. Add the wine and dried thyme. Cook until wine is reduced in half. Then add chicken broth. Bring broth to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the cornstarch and mix with the water to create a slurry. [I like a thicker sauce. If you and your family enjoy a thinner sauce, decrease the slurry to 2 tbsp. cornstarch to 2 tbsp. water.]
Once the broth is boiling add the slurry to the pot and stir as the mixture thickens. [TIP: Two things you must do in order for a slurry to work: Mix the cornstarch with very cold water and make sure the sauce is boiling when you add it.] Otherwise, the slurry will not work and your sauce will not thicken.
Once you’ve reached desired thickness. Turn off the heat. Add the heavy cream, and stir, then add Worcestershire sauce, fresh thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then add the frozen peas. Set aside to cool.
Remove the skin off the chicken and shred the chicken with two forks or tear it with your hands. Add the chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Transfer chicken to a heat-safe casserole.
Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together. Add butter and work flour and butter together with your hands until a coarse meal forms. Add Gruyere cheese, herbs and whisk to combine. Add milk. Stir into a dough and allow to rest for 5 minutes in order for the baking powder to activate.
Then using an ice cream scooper, scoop a mound of the biscuits over the casserole, spacing out to cover it. You should be able to fit 2 rows of 3-4 biscuits per row horizontally in the casserole dish. Brush melted butter over the top of the biscuits.
Bake casserole in a pre-heated oven at 425° F for 35-40 mins until casserole is bubbling and biscuits have risen and are golden brown.
NOTE: Casserole filling can be made the day ahead and refrigerated. On the day of, make the biscuits, scoop them on top of the casserole, bake and serve!
Some stores have frozen peas and carrots combined in one bag. I use these all the time to speed things up. Add the frozen carrots and peas near the end of the recipe.
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