Sister Schuberts Chicken Pot Pie With Bread Topping Recipes

CHICKEN POTPIE WITH CORNBREAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds, or until no white clumps of flour are visible. Add the chicken stock, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 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.
• 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 3/4-inch thick. Fold the dough in half and press once more to a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2- to 3-inch-round cutter and arrange them on top of the filling. (You should have about 10 biscuits.)
• 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.

SKILLET CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or other heavy bottom skillet) over medium heat. Sear chicken, skin-side down, until deeply golden brown and some of the fat has begun to render out, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate chicken and continue to cook on all sides until evenly browned and cooked through, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken, keeping all the drippings in the skillet, and let cool slightly on a plate.
• To the drippings, add carrots, celery, garlic, onion and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender and just cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat all the vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour has started to turn a light golden brown with no white, floury bits left, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly add the chicken broth or stock ½ cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to blend and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Once all the broth or stock is added, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
• Remove the bones and skin from the chicken and shred the meat and skin (discard any skin that is too thick or rubbery) into bite-size pieces or, alternatively, cut it with a knife and fork into bite-size pieces. (If you discover at this stage any pieces of chicken that are not completely cooked through, don't worry; they will finish cooking in the oven.) Add the peas, parsley and chicken and season once more with salt and pepper.
• Carefully unfold the puff pastry and working quickly, place it on top of the skillet (do not worry about it being a perfect circle), letting some of the dough hang off the sides (this will keep it from shrinking too much).
• Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush onto the top of the puff pastry. Cut three 2½-inch slits, about 1-inch apart and place the skillet on top of the sheet pan to catch any drips in the oven.
• Bake until puff pastry is golden brown on top and filling is starting to bubble up, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue to cook until puff pastry is baked through all the way and filling has thickened considerably, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly before eating.