Cheddar Bay Chicken Pot Pie

RECIPE

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Refrigeration Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

When I was a kid, my family and I would visit Red Lobster just to get the cheddar bay biscuits and of course we would order extra to take home as well. While I was coming up with a recipe for pot pie, I thought to myself, "what could elevate a pot pie to another level?" and instantly I thought about those biscuits that I loved so much growing up. I don't think there is a better fusion than this.

Notes:

•You can substitute the chicken breast with rotisserie chicken or other chicken of preference if you desire.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Breast

4 tbsp Olive Oil, divided 2 for cooking 2 for marinate
1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, about 2-3 chicken breast
1 tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
1 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Pot Pie filling

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
½ medium Yellow Onion, diced
1 large Carrot, diced
2 Celery Ribs, diced
½ tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
½ tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dried Thyme, or 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Chopped
¼ tsp Smoked Paprika
3 cloves Garlic, minced
60g All-Purpose Flour
2 ½ cups Chicken Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Frozen Peas
¼ tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
¼ tsp Black Pepper, to taste

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

300g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
½ tsp Baking Soda
4 oz Freshly Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Whole Buttermilk
8 tbsp (1 stick/113g) Unsalted Butter, melted & cooled to room temperature

Garlic Butter Topping

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
1 tsp Dried Parsley
½ tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Salt, optional
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, optional

Recommended Equipment

• Large Skillet

•10-inch baking dish, or baking dish of preference

• Mixing Bowls

• Wooden Spatula, or silicone spatula

INSTRUCTIONS

Chicken Breast Prep

Note:

You can substitute the chicken with rotisserie chicken or other chicken of preference if you desire.

1. Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry.

1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, about 2-3 chicken breast

2. Get chicken breast to even thickness by cutting them in half through the middle horizontally to create 2 cutlets from 1 piece or flatten them to an even ¼ to ½ inch thickness. To flatten the chicken breasts, work with one piece at a time. Place chicken breast on a cutting board. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over it or put it inside a zip-top bag. Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to pound the chicken breast until it is a uniform ¼ to ½ inch thickness. Having an even thickness is essential to the chicken cooking properly.

3. Add the chicken to a medium bowl, drizzle olive oil over chicken and season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika. Fully coat the chicken with spices. You can cook the chicken now or refrigerate it for at least 1 hour for more flavor, or up to 24 hours. Before cooking the chicken, let it sit out for about 15 minutes to come to room temperature; this ensures even cooking, develops a good crust, and juicier chicken.

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
1 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Cook the Chicken Breast

4. To cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the oil. The oil is hot when it shimmers and swirls easily in the pan. Add the chicken breast in batches, 2 to 3 at a time. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is browned, then flip over and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes more until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

2 tbsp Olive Oil

5. When done cooking, remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and let rest until needed in future steps. I recommend covering the plate with a loose tint of aluminum foil, this helps retain moisture in the chicken. After 5 minutes of resting, shred the chicken.

Prepare the Pot Pie

6. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC)

7. To the same skillet that was used to prepare the chicken breast, reduce the heat to medium and add in the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the diced onions. Cook the onions for about 1 minute until fragrant. Next, add in diced carrots and carrots. Cook the vegetables for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant. Add in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute, until fragrant.

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
½ medium Yellow Onion, diced
1 large Carrot, diced
2 Celery Ribs, diced

8. Stir in the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and smoked paprika. Then, add in the flour and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated into vegetables, about 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock and stir until the chicken stock thickens and comes to a low simmer, about 3-5 minutes. Once the chicken stock thickens, reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly pour in the heavy cream and mix in completely.

½ tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
½ tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dried Thyme, or 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Chopped
¼ tsp Smoked Paprika
3 cloves Garlic, minced
60g All-Purpose Flour
2 ½ cups Chicken Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream

9. Add in the peas and shredded chicken, stir in to fully incorporate. I recommend tasting the pot-pie mixture at this point to adjust the seasonings to your taste. I like to add in additional salt and black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the pot-pie filling to a baking dish of preference (preferably 10-inch pan) and allow to cool down for about 10 minutes before adding the biscuits on top to allow the biscuits to bake evenly.

1 cup Frozen Peas
¼ tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
¼ tsp Black Pepper, to taste

Cheddar Bay Biscuit Prep

10. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and sugar. Then, add in shredded cheddar cheese and fully incorporate with the flour mixture.

300g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
½ tsp Baking Soda
4 oz Freshly Shredded Cheddar Cheese

11. In a separate small bowl, combine the buttermilk and the melted and cooled butter. Stir together until incorporated and the butter forms small clumps.

1 cup Whole Buttermilk
8 tbsp (1 stick/113g) Unsalted Butter, melted & cooled to room temperature

12. Make a well in the center of the dry mix bowl. Pour the buttermilk and butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold the ingredients until they are just combined. A shaggy dough should be formed; it will be a little sticky/moist to the touch. Take care not to overmix the dough.

13. Using an ice cream scoop or a ¼ cup dry measuring cup, scoop out the dough and place on top of the pot pie filing. Place each biscuit next to each other, no more than a ¼ inch apart.

Make the Garlic-Butter Topping

14. In a small bowl stir together melted butter, minced parsley, garlic powder, pinch of salt (optional). Brush the top of the biscuits with about half of the butter. Save the remainder of the butter to brush on the biscuits after baking.

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
1 tsp Dried Parsley
½ tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Salt, optional

Bake Pot-Pie

15. Place the pot-pie in the pre-heated oven uncovered and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and down.

16. Once done baking, remove from the oven and brush on the remaining garlic butter. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Add on Grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top if you would like to.