Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Chicken Pot Pie Filling with Drop Biscuit Topping


Well, the photography for this blog post is just the capper on the kind of day I was having! But this healthy version of a chicken pot pie was a big hit here with the kids and Alan and me..The kids loved the whole wheat biscuits and ask I make them on their own sometime--so I will......I am sorry but for some reason my photos were all corrupt! Bummer...so I have only one photo of the casserole just before baking....sorry...but it was delicious! I hope you try and enjoy this recipe.



For the filling:
                EVOO (Extra Vigin Olive Oil)
                3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
                1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
                2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
                4 teaspoons olive oil
                1 Cup of pearl onions (frozen are great) or a medium onion, chopped
                4 medium carrots, chopped
                3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
                3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
                1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
                1/4 cup all-purpose flour
                1 cup chicken stock
                1 cup peas (frozen are great)
                1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
                 
For the biscuit crust:
                1 cup whole-wheat flour
                1/2 cup all-purpose flour
                1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
                1/2 teaspoon baking soda
                1/2 teaspoon salt
                6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
                4 tablespoons grapeseed oil or canola oil
                1 cup lowfat buttermilk

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. You'll need a large shallow casserole dish.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large cast iron skillet, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken with its juices to a bowl. 
Add a few more teaspoons of EVOO to the same pan and heat it over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add the green beans, garlic and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 minute more. Add the milk. Stir the flour into the broth until it is completely dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken with its juices back to the pan. Add the peas and thyme and stir to combine. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.
For the biscuits: Put the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 12 times, or until pebble sized pieces are formed.
Add the buttermilk then oil to the food processor and pulse until just moistened. Do not over mix. Drop the batter in mounds on top of the chicken mixture, spreading the batter out slightly. Bake until filling is bubbling and the biscuit topping is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.