Family Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes

Mom’s Chicken Pot Non-Pie

Posted by The King on

A warm, hearty meal is quintessential for the bleak midwinter. When I think of comfort food, chicken pot pie is one dish that tends to comes to mind. There are many variations of this savory pie with a variety of vegetables for the filling and crusts of all shapes and sizes to be filled. However, I grew up on my mom’s variation of this traditional dish. I’ve had my fair share of chicken pot pies, but I still prefer my mom’s take of the recipe, replacing the crust with thin, flaky biscuits to top our bowls of warm chicken pot pie filling. I think what I like most about this recipe is that it allows everyone to adjust the crust-to-filling ratio to their liking. Since I’ve always been a fan of pie crust, I tend to use three biscuits. Others might prefer to have just one, but I guarantee after you try one biscuit you’ll want a few more. In any case, this will surely warm you from the inside out.

Mom’s Chicken Pot Non-Pie

The thin and flaky biscuits can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container. You should have most of the ingredients in your pantry, making this an affordable and quick dish to whip up.

Mom’s Thin & Flaky Biscuits

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine shortening and butter with a fork. Add the salt and sugar and incorporate with fork. Add the flour, mixing until combined. Toss with the milk until combined. You may need up to 1/2 cup milk. Roll into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to about an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or small torte tin. Using the tongs of a fork, start at one end of the biscuit and make slight indentations with the tip of the fork, continue this in a straight line about 1/4-inch between each. Make identical marks perpendicular to the first row, skipping over the area where the first line markings are made (see picture below for example of fork markings). Bake until golden brown on the middle rack. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mom’s Chicken Pot Non-Pie Filling

  • 2-3 chicken breast halves with bone and skin
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of ground pepper
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
Cook chicken in a large pot over medium with the 2 cups water, salt and pepper until chicken is tender. Remove breasts and set aside to cool. Skim the fat from the broth. Add the can of chicken broth and enough water to equal 4 cups. Set aside broth aside. When cooled, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and cut into moderately bite-sized pieces and set aside. In a nonstick fry pan melt the butter and add flour, mixing well to make a roux over medium heat. Cook this for about a minute. Put the pot containing the broth back on the burner and whisk the roux into the broth over medium heat. Keep stirring until no lumps remain and it begins to thicken and bubble. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the frozen peas and carrots. If the mixture seems runny after this, mix up a water flour thickening mixture (about 1 cup water and 1/2 cup flour) and add thickening until sauce is moderately thick. Let this cook for about 10 minutes on low, stirring every now and then. Add the chicken and stir. Pour the entire mixture into a 2 1/2-quarts casserole dish. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until bubbling. Serve in a bowl with a few biscuits on the side to top.
Mom’s Chicken Pot Non-Pie

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