I love my Dutch oven (DO). I use it at least once a week for big hearty meals such as soups, stews, roasts, and the like. Chicken pot pie in the DO? With a cheddar biscuit “crust”? OH, yes, please!
I am one of those geeks out there who still subscribes to RSS feeds and most of them are cooking related. The Kitchn is one that has good recipes that are usually simple and easy to follow. I also enjoy their product reviews and various other kitchen hacks so I found myself following another link from the chicken pot pie recipe for a technique to cook chicken breasts so I would then have the cooked chicken called for in the pot pie. I even streamlined a few steps so the only cooking vessel used was my DO. This meal was perfect for a cold, windy, rainy night! It definitely “sticks to your ribs” so you may find yourself drifting off into a nice little nap after a bowl of this!
The Chicken Breast
The pot pie recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked chicken breast so you can certainly use leftovers from a roast chicken or even deli rotisserie from the store to make this on a busy night. I took advantage of a good sale on whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a big value-pack to stock my freezer so I took a package of two large ones out and let them thaw in the refrigerator. Then I tried this method/recipe for cooking them:
How To Cook Moist & Tender Chicken Breasts
from The Kitchn
The steps are pretty simple and most of the cooking time is hands-off so you just need a good timer.
- 1 to 4
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, of similar size
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil, unsalted butter, or combination of both
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Flatten the chicken breasts: Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness with the bottom of a wide jar or glass. I used the flat side of my meat mallet.
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Season the chicken breasts: Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts.
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Prepare the pan: Heat sauté pan (or Dutch oven in my case) over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the olive oil (or butter, if using). Swirl the pan so it is lightly covered with the olive oil.
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Cook the chicken breasts for 1 minute without moving: Turn the heat to medium. Add the chicken breasts. Cook for just about 1 minute to help them get a little golden on one side (you are not actually searing or browning them).
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Flip the chicken breasts: Then flip each chicken breast over.
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Turn the heat down to low: Turn the heat to low.
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Cover the pan and cook on low for 10 minutes. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and walk away. Do not lift the lid; do not peek.
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Turn off the heat and let sit for an additional 10 minutes: After 10 minutes have elapsed, turn off the heat. (If you have an electric stove, remove the pan from the heat.) Reset the timer for 10 minutes and leave the chicken breasts in the pan. Again, do not lift the lid; do not peek.
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Remove lid and take temperature: After the 10 minutes are up, take the lid off, and your chicken is done. Make sure there is no pink in the middle of the chicken breasts. If you want to be absolutely sure it is cooked, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check (the chicken should be at least 165°F). Slice and eat. Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.
The author gives notes and tips at the end of the recipe so following her advice and knowing where this chicken was going to be used I did the following:
For seasoning I sprinkled the meat liberally with garlic powder, oregano, and some dried thyme.
Because my chicken was fairly large and thick (even after flattening) and the Dutch oven is a deeper vessel than the pan they use I did leave it on the burner (electric stove) after turning it off in step 8.
When I checked at the final 10 minute mark they were not up to temperature so I replaced the lid and turned the burner back on to it’s lowest setting and let them sit for ~5 minutes. Then I took the pan off the burner and let it sit unopened for 10 minutes.
Ok! So now you have the cooked chicken. Since I was doing this on the same day I let the chicken cool on a cutting board while I drained off all but about 2 tbsp. of the liquid in my DO. Why, you ask?
The Pot Pie
Because now that flavorful chicken “jus” if you will is going to act as the olive oil in our pot pie! Hahaa! No need to clean out the pan or dirty another! Once the chicken was cooled I set about shredding until I had the 3 cups I needed. This left me with one whole breast all ready to be stored for another dish!
Dutch Oven Pot Pie
from The Kitchn
For the biscuits:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold heavy cream
For the pot pie:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (See my note above!)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken or prepared from about 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts)
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas and carrots
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Make the biscuits:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F.
Whisk the flour, cheese, thyme, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the cream and use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Refrigerate while you prepare the pot pie.
Make the pot pie:
Heat olive oil in a 3-quart (or large) Dutch oven or ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until tender and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour dissolves. Stir in the chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, peas and carrots, salt, and pepper. Divide the biscuit dough into 6 portions (about 2 heaping tablespoons each). Use your hands to shape each biscuit into a 1/2-inch-thick patty and place on top of the chicken mixture, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart.
My dough ended up being quite sticky:
Bake uncovered until heated through and bubbling and the biscuits are golden-brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.
I ended up cooking longer to get the biscuits to brown and they still were a bit light and more “dumpling-like” but it was delicious! Could be my oven, or I might have over-mixed the dough. Sigh.
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And just because I am thoroughly enjoying my ongoing baking adventures here’s a lil’ treat for dessert:
Here’s the recipe:
White Chocolate Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead ‘cause that’s what I had. Yummy!
~Shhh! Don’t tell anyone but I’m eating one for breakfast right now as I finish up this diary;)
So we are probably having some leftovers tonight to make space in the fridge. What about you?
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