Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

A classic meal for a cold day!  This version is easy with refrigerated biscuits on top, but you could use refrigerated pie crust or frozen puff pastry (thawed) if you'd prefer.  It's also great with shredded rotisserie chicken if you're looking for a shortcut!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 oz. cremini or white button mushrooms
• 1/4 Wondra or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen baby peas
• 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned corn
• 4 sprigs thyme
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 can refrigerated biscuits (6-8 biscuits)

Serves 6-8
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

Heat a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat; pan sear each side of chicken until golden brown and crispy, but do not worry about cooking through; this may take two batches, do not crowd the chicken or it will steam and not brown well.  Remove chicken and set aside.
Add butter to pan and cook onion, celery, and carrots until softened; add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have given up some of their liquid and are beginning to brown.  Add Wondra and cook for a few minutes so the raw taste is cooked out.
Deglaze pan with wine and allow the alcohol to cook off.  Add stock and then the chicken back to the sauté pan.  Once chicken is cooked through, remove from sauté pan and seat aside to cool.  Once cool enough to touch shred and add back to sauté pan.  Add corn, peas, and thyme.  Whisk in cream and cook for a few minutes until mixture is thickened (add more Wondra if necessary to thicken).  

When mixture is cooked through top with refrigerated biscuits.  Continue cooking until biscuits are browned on top and cooked through on the bottom (this usually takes the package direction time, but cover for a few minutes to allow the bottoms to cook).

*A variation on this is using beef stew meat instead of chicken and a stout or brown ale instead of wine.