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Chicken Potpie With Cornbread Biscuits
![Chicken Potpie With Cornbread Biscuits](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/02/18/dining/lh-chicken-pot-pie-with-cornbread-biscuits/merlin_168782391_9928d75a-b895-40ac-8bd7-e5c37404d58d-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1½ to 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (2 breasts)
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1½ cups)
- 4large celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1½ cups)
- 1medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 2teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½cups chicken stock
- ½cup whole milk
- 3tablespoons dry sherry
- 2tablespoons minced fresh chives or parsley
- 1egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- 1¼cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
- ¾cup/105 grams yellow cornmeal
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1tablespoon baking powder
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- 5tablespoons/70 grams chilled unsalted butter, diced
- ¾cup/180 milliliters buttermilk, shaken
For the Filling
For the Biscuits
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Rub all over with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until just cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
- Step 3
While the chicken roasts, begin making the biscuits: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well combined. Add the butter, and working quickly, cut the butter into the flour using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until it forms crumbles about the size of peas. Switch to a fork, and stir constantly while adding the buttermilk in a slow, steady steam. Mix just until a wet, sticky dough forms. (Do not overmix!) Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a mound, then wrap and chill it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- Step 4
In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and rosemary, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Step 5
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds, or until no white clumps of flour are visible. Add the chicken stock, milk, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until very thick, 7 to 10 minutes; remove from heat. Add the sherry, chives and chicken, and stir until well combined.
- Step 6
Unwrap the chilled biscuit dough and place it on a well-floured surface. Working quickly (you want the biscuits to be as cold as possible when they go into the oven) lightly press the dough with your hands into a rectangle about ¾-inch thick. Fold the dough in half and press once more to a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Cut out biscuits with a 2½- to 3-inch-round cutter and arrange them on top of the filling. (You should have about 10 biscuits.)
- Step 7
Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash. Place the skillet on a sheet pan to catch any drips, and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until biscuits are puffed and golden. Cool for 10 minutes to let the filling thicken slightly, then serve.
- The biscuit dough may be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you plan to make the biscuit dough more than an hour in advance, follow the directions for kneading the dough and cutting out the biscuits before chilling them.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Best chicken pot pie I’ve had in years. My husband doesn’t usually like chicken pot pie but he devoured this! I made this recipe with leftover buttermilk biscuits and leftover grilled chicken breast, so it came together a lot faster. When I put the skillet in the oven, I left off the biscuits and just cooked the filling for about 10 min then buttered the leftover biscuits and put them on top of the filling and cooked 5 more minutes to let them get hot. Tasted great the next day too.
Took no short cuts on this one, and it was completely worth the time. I added mushrooms and fresh thyme to the filling mix, but otherwise followed the recipe. The biscuits are beyond good. Next time I'm making a double batch of the pie filling and freezing for later.
This was great. I used rotisserie chicken as a shortcut and added some chopped fennel to use it up. This is a keeper.
I couldn’t wait for a cool evening to make this so, on a 90 degree day, popped it into the oven. My husband is raving about it with good reason. Made exactly as written except I forgot the egg wash. No problem but I’ll try to remember next time. This is a new favorite for us and for company (when Covid stops rearing it’s ugly head).
Southern cornbread will forever be debated based on use of sugar. With sugar, without sugar - neither one is more or less correct than the other. What's more important than "being correct" is to appreciate that each pays tribute to and has deep roots in various modes of life, history, and culture. I highly suggest taking a deep dive into history to understand why the different channels of thought exist! I at least can say I'm glad I did.
3/4 cup buttermilk (I subbed heavy cream) was not enough to make a sticky dough. Had to add at least another 1/4 cup to get the dough to be the right moisture to incorporate.
Indeed, a showstopper. Added mushrooms and peas.... not pot pie without peas. Wonderful recipe.
I made a vegetarian version and replaced the chicken with golden potatoes and baby Bella mushrooms, and of course used vegetable broth. Followed all steps. Delicious fall dinner!
I've made this a few times and it's always well-loved! My most recent version was honeynut squash, celery, shallots, chives, and parsley. I roasted the squash with the chicken for 20 minutes. For the biscuit dough, I fold it once like the recipe says, then roughly shape it into a circle about 1" diameter smaller than my cast iron skillet, then simply use a butter knife to cut straight lines, 3x3, 9 biscuit pieces all together, then reassemble the circle in the pan.
Unfortunately, this recipe didn’t work for me. The biscuits were baked on top, but still doughy on the bottom where they touched the pie.
Double the amount of sauce.
Delicious! Next time I will increase the amount of sauce. Personal preference for more nom nom.
Stop scrolling and make this recipe. I’ve made this recipe as is—as a pot pie—but and I’ve also made just made the biscuits on their own. Both are delicious, but man o man the biscuits by themselves are a real treat. They’re flakey and light like an all-purpose biscuit, but have the buttery goodness of cornbread.
No notes. Perfect every time. I used plain yoghurt mixed with a bit of water instead of buttermilk for the biscuits due to the cossie livs and it was still delicious.
substituted sage for rosemary. delicious!
I couldn’t get my biscuits to rise! They still tasted fantastic. And this recipe is a winner. Subbed rosemary for thyme but otherwise made as instructed. Would maybe salt a bit less next time. Very tasty!
Absolutely loved this recipe. The biscuits are fantastic- I have made it a few times now and like to use a rotisserie chicken from the store to save time. It feeds our family of 4 but I don't feel like the serving of 6-8 is correct. I will probably double the recipe going forward.
Added mushrooms and peas, Marsala Wine, a lot of fresh thyme and oregano. Made this twice, I added 1tsp of baking SODA to the dough second time as it helped react with the buttermilk acid to lighten the biscuits. I also baked for 30 minutes as my filling was not hot going into the pan. Wonderful and a cold weather showstopper.
I love the cornbread biscuits so I make them separately for other meals. I do advise leaving out the sugar! I bake them in a preheated iron skillet.
The biscuit topping is heaven sent atop an absolutely delicious filling. This will become my go to recipe.
***TRIGGER WARNING*** Not only did I use rotisserie chicken but I used Pillsbury grands biscuits. Sorry!!! Besides that I followed the recipe exactly (ignoring biscuit directions) and it was to die for. Absolutely perfect gravy/flavor /cooking times and golden brown/crisp biscuit top. I’m sure it’s miles better with the real biscuits but I just didn’t have time! Next time!
Very tasty. I reduced sugar to 2 t, but next time will omit altogether. I also added shiitakes and thyme, as someone suggested here. Also, I'm allergic to eggs, so I brushed the tops with cream. Baking time was a bit longer than 30 mins, till the tops were starting to brown. Thumbs up!
Has anyone frozen this as a make ahead meal? Trying to stock a family member’s freezer!
Double the chicken broth, add peas, make with chicken breast cut into 1/2” pieces
This was delicious. We loved the biscuits so much that I now make them on their own for other meals. I do not add the sugar to the biscuit mix—you really don’t need it. I do think it’s best to chill the dough for a while whether you are making the biscuits within an hour or not, and I bake them at 425 degrees in an iron skillet. Delicious with chili or black bean and sweet potato hash, in particular.
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