Dinner Tonight!

"To invite a person into your house is to take charge of his happiness for as long as he is under your roof."  ~A. Brillat-Savarin

Sometimes taking charge of ones happiness is through their tummy!  This is one of our favorites and it's down-home good comfort food.  Great for hungry skiers coming home from a day on the slopes!  Taken from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook, this recipe serves 8 large portions.

Chicken Stew With Biscuits

3 whole (6 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on, 3T. olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through.  Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin.  Cut the chicken into large dice.  You will have 4-6 cups of cubed chicken.

For the Sauce:

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 12 T. unsalted butter (11/2 cubes)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 3/4 cup all-purpose four
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 1-10 oz. bag frozen peas (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whole small onions (optional)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For The Biscuits:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup half-n-half
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 egg mixed with 1 T. water for egg wash, or use melted butter to brush top of biscuits before baking

While chicken is baking, prepare sauce.  In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock.  In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.  Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce.  Simmer over low heat for 1 minute more, stirring, until thick.  Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream.  Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley.  Mix well.  Place the stew in a 10x13x2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish.  Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar 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 half-n-half and combine on low speed.  Mix in the parsley.

Put the dough on a floured board and roll out to about 3/8-inch thick and cut out twelve biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling.  Brush them with the egg wash or melted butter (my preference) and return the dish to the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

I hope you might try this one sometime, it will definately warm you from the inside and make you smile!

"The wind was blowing, but not too hard, and everyone was so happy and gay for it was only twenty degrees below zero and the sun shone."  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Comments

[Alice Gunther]

Hmm, how long would it take me to get to your house if I left now, I wonder. : ) That dinner looks absolutely phenomenal! The perfect thing on a cold, snowy evening!!!

[Genevieve]

It looks yummy! Makes me want to pick up her cookbook to try out her other recipes. *grinz* Loving your blog. One of my "nurturing gentle spirit" inspirations. :)

[Happyheartsmom]

Oh Alice and Genevieve you're both so sweet. I wish I could have you all in out of the cold. We would have such a grand time! We are getting dumped on again today. We're still hunkering down. I'm so glad you're enjoying my blog, that warms my heart to no end. Blessings!