Creamy Chicken & Butter Biscuits

 

Normally I wouldn't show you two chicken recipes in a row, but this turned out so lovely that I just couldn't wait to share it with you!  

 

I've been in the process of reducing the size of some of our favourite meals and today's casserole is our favourite Chicken & Biscuit casserole reduced to feed only 2 or 3 depending on how hungry you are! 

 

What you have is a delicious, well flavoured creamy chicken filling . . .  a lush sauce, combined with shredded cooked chicken and vegetables.  

 

I used potatoes, carrots and Swede/rutabaga combined with a handful of frozen peas.  

 

The gravy is really simple as well.  You just sweat some onion and celery (don't forget to use some of the leaves) in a bit of butter until softened without browning and whisk in flour  . . . 

 

 

And then whisk in a mixture of stock and milk . . .  cooking until it thickens. You won't want it to be too thick as the potatoes and biscuits will absorb some of the gravy while it is baking.  If you make it too thick, you will end up without any sauce. 

 

The butter biscuit topping is also really easy to make.  Just sift together the dry ingredients and then cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until you have a mixture of small grains of fat, along with some bits the size of peas.  It is these large bits that will melt and make little pockets of air in your biscuits, helping them to rise well!  

 

Stir in the milk with a fork to make a soft dough and pat the dough out to a rectangle on a well floured surface. Try not to handle the dough too much.  Over handling it toughens the biscuits.  Cut into small squares with a sharp knife and place them right on top of your casserole filled with the hot chicken filling. 

 

Depending on the size of your casserole dish they will probably pretty much cover the filling.  My dish is about 6 by 8 inches in size.

 

That's it really . . .  so simple  . . .  just bake . . . in a hot oven  . . . 

 

Until those butter biscuits puff up and turn golden brown . . . . 

  

And that lush filling bubbles up all rich an scrumptious  . . .  you can't beat this for comfort food.

Creamy Chicken & Butter Biscuits

Yield: 2 - 3

Author: Marie Rayner

This is one of my husband's favourite things to eat. You have a creamy chicken and vegetable casserole topped with crisp buttery biscuits.  Its a great way to use leftover cooked chicken. I like to serve it with a salad.

ingredients:

For the filling:

• 3 medium sized red skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 8ths
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 60g peeled and cubed Swede/rutabaga (1/2 cup)
• and handful of frozen peas
• 1/2 stalk celery with leaves, minced
• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1 1/2 TBS flour
• 190g cooked chicken shredded (1 1/2 cups)
• 120ml chicken stock made with 1 1/2 chicken stock cubes (1/2 cup)
• 240ml milk (1 cup)
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the biscuit topping:

• 140g plain flour (1 cup)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 60g cold butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
• 80ml milk (1/3 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Creamy Chicken & Butter Biscuits

1. First make the filling.  Place the swede/rutabaga into a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 8 minutes.  Add the potato cubes and continue to cook until all the vegetables are tender.  Drain well.  Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and celery.  Cook over medium heat until they soften without browning.  Whisk in the flour. Cook for several minutes to cook out the flour taste.  Stir the stock and milk together and then slowly whisk this into the flour mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.  It will not be really thick, but that is how you want it as it the potatoes and topping will absorb some as it cooks.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Stir in the cooked vegetables and shredded chicken meat, along with the frozen peas.  Keep warm while you make the topping.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Stir in the poultry seasoning. Drop in the cold butter. Cut it in with a pastry blender until you have a crumbly coarse textured mixture. You will want some bits the size of peas and most bits smaller.  Stir in the milk with a fork to make a soft dough.
4. Pat out on a well floured surface to  a rough rectangle about 1/2 inch in thickness.  Cut the rectangle into squares, using a sharp knife.
5. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a small casserole dish.  Pour the chicken filling into the dish.  Top with the squares of biscuit dough.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the biscuits are risen and golden brown and the filling is bubbling.  Serve hot.

Created using The Recipes Generator 

 

This is really, really, REALLY good!  Simple ingredients done well.  You can't beat them!  All you need is perhaps a salad on the side!  Nothing artificial here . . .  just plain good old home cooking.