Skillet Chicken Pot Pie, With Biscuit Crust
So chicken pot pie isn’t generally my thing. You might ask me, “Why? Chicken pot pie is such a well beloved dish. Everyone loves chicken pot pie!” And indeed you would be right. Generally well liked, just not by me. “Beloved and bland,” I would tell you. See, I feel there’s nothing wrong with the principal of chicken pot pie. Flaky pie crust. Tender chicken. Sweet vegetables. Creamy sauce. It’s a fantastic dish in theory. But why, oh why, is it always so darn bland?! You guys. I’m Jamaican! I need some flavor. We don’t do bland. (I submit to you this Jamaican Patty recipe as my evidence.)
My husband happens to adore chicken pot pie, and he has requested I make it for him numerous times. I tried once back when we were first married. We lived in North Dakota at the time, and I thought hearty, warm comforting, certainly suits the weather. (-32* ambient!) Perhaps this will work out ok? Unfortunately and much as I had secretly suspected, the pot pie was totally blah. Chicken pot pie did not grace our table again for a number of years. However, recently I decided it would be a great idea if I came up with a chicken pot pie version that would please all parties, and happened to be easy to boot.
After some trial and error, into being came Skillet Chicken Pot Pie complete with a Biscuit Crust. So, much like a traditional chicken pot pie, you’ll find tender chicken, green beans, carrots, and sweet corn, smothered in a creamy white sauce. Unlike the traditional pot pie you’ll also find some serious garlic, and a pleasant touch of heat from some red pepper. Also unlike the traditional pot pie, you won’t find a pie crust here. Not that I don’t love the pie crust, mind you, but there is something magical about tossing buttermilk drop biscuits on top of chicken pot pie filling. It soaks up a bunch of that creamy/garlicky/little bit spicy sauce and, uh mmm, so good.
So if you’ve been looking for a chicken pot pie recipe with a little oomph this is the one for you. If you love the traditional chicken pot pie, I still say it might be unexpected, but you’re going to love it too. Enjoy!
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuit Crust
Filling:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth + additional as needed
- 2 small cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1 to 1 and 1/2 bags frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, corn, carrots, peas)
Biscuit Crust:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoons of butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Filling:
1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and chicken breasts to the pan. Season the chicken with the garlic powder, red pepper, and black pepper. Cook the chicken until lightly golden brown on each side, flipping once.
2. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan using the chicken broth, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan dislodging any small browned bits. Add the cream of mushroom soup to the pan. Stir to combine with the chicken broth.
3. Add the mixed vegetables to the pan, string to mix into the sauce. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Return the chicken to the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the pan to simmer, string occasionally, while you prepare the biscuit dough. Add additional chicken broth as needed if the sauce begins to over thicken.
Dough:
1. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
2. Add in the butter using a fork to stir in, so that a coarse crumbly mixture begins to form.
3. Add the buttermilk, using the fork or hands to quickly combine. Mix as little as needed to fully combine all ingredients and form a dough.
4. Remove the skillet front he heat. Lightly flour hands, and drop the dough on top of the filling mixture in medium sized pieces. Cover the surface of the skillet leaving some room in between the dough pieces. You may end up with extra dough depending on the size of the skillet used.
Bake:
1. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Turn the oven on to 350* and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops of the biscuit crust is a light golden brown.
* Feel free to make extra biscuits with any remaining dough to serve alongside the pot pie. Biscuits on their own should take 10-12 minutes to cook.