Sandra Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits Recipe is a British-style comfort food main. It features tender shredded chicken and garden vegetables in a creamy sauce topped with golden, flaky buttermilk biscuits.
If you do nothing else, keep your butter ice-cold for the biscuits. I used to let it sit out on the counter, but the biscuits ended up flat and greasy every time. Now I cube it and put it back in the fridge until the very second I need to mix the dough. That’s the difference between a heavy, leaden topping and a light, flaky crust that rises properly in the oven.
The sauce is doing more work than you’d think in this dish. Without cooking the roux for a full two minutes, you’ll taste raw flour in the final gravy. I’ve tried to rush this step before, but letting the stock simmer until it thickens into a velvet texture is what makes this feel like a proper home-cooked meal. This is one of my go-to recipes for a rainy Sunday afternoon because it makes the whole house smell like a Sunday roast.
Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits Recipe Ingredients
For the Filling
- 55g (2oz) unsalted butter
- 150g (5oz) brown onion, diced
- 250g (9oz) carrots, diced
- 120g (4oz) celery, diced
- 65g (2 1/4oz) plain flour
- 950ml (32fl oz) chicken stock
- 125ml (4fl oz) double cream
- 600g (1.3lb) cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
- 150g (5oz) frozen peas
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
For the Biscuits
- 260g (9oz) plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 115g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 185ml (6fl oz) buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten for the glaze
How To Make Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits Recipe
- Heat the oven: Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Place a large baking tray on the rack below to catch any sauce that bubbles over the sides of the dish during cooking. This prevents the sauce from burning on the floor of the oven and creating smoke.
- Cook the vegetables: Melt the unsalted butter in a large casserole dish or heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and stir frequently for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions turn soft and see-through. Do not let the vegetables brown, as this will change the colour and flavour of the white sauce.
- Make the roux: Sprinkle the plain flour over the softened vegetables and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Watch for the flour to form a thick paste that coats the vegetables and begins to smell slightly nutty. This step is essential to remove the raw flour taste and ensure the sauce thickens correctly later on.
- Add the liquids: Pour in the chicken stock and double cream in a slow, steady stream while whisking the mixture. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes until the liquid simmers and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Make sure you scrape the bottom and corners of the pan so no flour pockets remain.
- Finish the filling: Stir the shredded chicken, frozen peas, salt, pepper, and dried thyme into the thickened sauce. Let the mixture simmer gently for 5 minutes until the peas are bright green and the chicken is heated through. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning if needed before removing the pan from the heat.
- Mix the biscuits: Combine the plain flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold, diced butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a fork until a sticky dough just forms, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Assemble the pie: Pour the hot chicken filling into a 23x33cm (9×13 inch) ovenproof baking dish. Use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to drop mounds of the biscuit dough onto the surface of the chicken mixture. Space the dough rounds evenly so the heat can circulate and cook the sides of each biscuit.
- Brush and bake: Brush the tops of the dough rounds with the beaten egg using a pastry brush. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the biscuits have risen and turned a deep golden brown. The filling should be bubbling vigorously around the edges of the biscuits when you pull it from the oven.
Recipe Tips
Check the butter. Use butter straight from the fridge and cut it into small cubes before starting the filling so it stays firm. If the butter melts into the dough before baking, the biscuits will be heavy and dense rather than flaky.
Simmer the sauce. Wait until the sauce is thick enough to leave a clear trail when you run your finger across the back of the spoon. A thin sauce will result in a watery pie that makes the bottom of the biscuits soggy.
Use leftover chicken. A shop-bought rotisserie chicken is an excellent time-saver for this recipe. Strip the meat from the bones while it is still warm and shred it into bite-sized pieces for the best texture.
Avoid overmixing. Stop stirring the biscuit dough the moment the flour disappears. Overworking the dough develops the gluten, which makes the biscuits tough instead of tender and light.
Space the biscuits. Leave small gaps between the mounds of dough to allow steam to escape from the filling. If you cover the top completely, the biscuits will steam from underneath and stay doughy on the bottom.
Preheat thoroughly. Make sure your oven has reached exactly 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) before putting the dish inside. A cold oven will prevent the baking powder from reacting quickly, leading to flat biscuits.
What To Serve With Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits
This rich and creamy dish works well with a simple, crisp green salad dressed in a sharp lemon vinaigrette. The acidity of the dressing cuts through the fat of the double cream and butter in the pie.
You could also serve it with a side of steamed green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for extra crunch. A small bowl of cranberry relish provides a lovely tart contrast to the savoury chicken and thyme flavours.
How To Store Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits
Fridge
Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before covering the dish tightly with clingfilm or moving leftovers to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, though the biscuits will soften the longer they sit in the sauce.
Reheat
Reheat individual portions in the oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 15 to 20 minutes to help the biscuits crisp up again. You can use a microwave for 2 minutes if you are in a hurry, but the topping will lose its crunch and become quite soft.
Freeze
You can freeze the assembled, unbaked pie by wrapping the dish in two layers of foil for up to 3 months. Bake it directly from frozen at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 45 to 55 minutes until the filling is hot and the biscuits are brown.
Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits Recipe Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 of 6):
- Calories: 520
- Protein: 32g
- Fat: 26g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 850mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes, you can lay a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry over the filling and bake until puffed and golden. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during the cooking process.
Yes, use a high-quality gluten-free plain flour blend for both the roux and the biscuit dough. You may need to add a little extra buttermilk to the dough as gluten-free flour tends to absorb more moisture.
This usually happens if the butter was too warm or if you mixed the dough for too long. Keep the ingredients cold and handle the dough as little as possible to ensure a light texture.
Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits Recipe
Description
Tender shredded chicken and garden vegetables in a velvet cream sauce topped with flaky, golden buttermilk biscuits.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) and melt butter in a large casserole.
- Soften onions, carrots, and celery for 7 minutes, then stir in flour for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in stock and cream until thick, then add chicken, peas, and herbs.
- Rub cold butter into flour and baking powder, then stir in buttermilk to form a dough.
- Pour the filling into a 23x33cm dish and drop mounds of dough over the top.
- Brush biscuits with egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
- Let the pie rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set.
