My father was born and raised in Missouri. His favorite meal was fried chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and milk gravy. In hindsight, it was all about the gravy. The rich flavor and comforting texture evoked feelings from his youth. It’s not “California Cuisine” by a long shot, but sometimes we just need comfort food that brings back memories of our childhood and families. This one’s for my dad.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits would have met his criteria for cold-weather comfort food. It features big chunks of chicken, fluffy baked biscuits, and a creamy white sauce. Lorelei, my sister, has perfected this delicious dish, making the flaky biscuits and sauce with painstaking attention to detail. Her hack to reduce some of the labor is rotisserie chicken from Costco. 

Recipe from Ina Garten – Serves 8

Ingredients for the stew

• 1 Whole chicken from Costco remove from bone and shred 
• 5 C Chicken stock
• 8 T Unsalted butter – (1 stick)
• 1 C Chopped yellow onion
• ¾ C All-purpose flour
• ¼ C Half and half or whole milk
• 2 C Diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
• 1 C Frozen peas
• ½ C Minced fresh parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the biscuits

• 3 C All-purpose flour
• 1 T Baking powder
• ¾ t Baking soda.
• 1 t Kosher salt
• 12 T Cold unsalted butter, cut up into small diced pieces (1 ½ stick)
• 1 ¼  C Buttermilk

Directions for stew

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. 
• Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Lightly brown.
• Heat the chicken stock and slowly add it to the roux (flour, butter, onion mixture). Simmer over low heat, stirring, until thickened to a heavy cream. 
• Add two teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the milk or half and half. 
• Add the shredded chicken, then the carrots, peas, onions, thyme, and parsley. Mix well. 
• Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or a 9x 13 rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment.
• Bake for 15 minutes.

Directions for biscuts

• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 
• Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. 
• Add the buttermilk and combine on low speed, very briefly.
• Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2-1/2 inch round cutter.
• Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling, and return the dish to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and the stew is bubbly. If you have leftover biscuits that don’t fit on top of the stew, cook them separately. (if cooking biscuits separately on a sheet pan turn the temperature up to 425 degrees and cook for 15 minutes).
• To make in advance, refrigerate the stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.