Chicken and Biscuits

This dish was the fate of a mean rooster who chased my mother. Mom would cut up a chicken into eight pieces, keeping the back intact. This way, she could pull the chicken pieces out once they had cooked through but not yet toughened. Leave in the back to flavor the stock for the gravy. Another option is to utilize the legs and thighs, then add chicken necks, a few wings, or the saved carcass from a roasted chicken to keep flavoring the stock after the other pieces have cooked.

This takes about 2¹/₂ hours from start to finish, but the stewed chicken portion can be made a day ahead, reheated, and served with freshly made biscuits. Dad liked crispy biscuits, so Mom cooked them separately rather than on top, but that’s up to you. To make this a bit lighter, remove the skin from the chicken before starting. If you don’t have poultry seasoning, you can make your own (page 252).

Makes 6 to 8 generous servings; the accompanying biscuit recipe makes 6 biscuits. I usually double the biscuit recipe and bake some or all of the biscuits separately.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil or butter

5 large carrots (285 g), diced (2 cups)

6 stalks celery (250 g), diced (2 cups)

2 large yellow onions (680 g), diced (4 to 5 cups)

3 garlic cloves, minced

¹/₄ cup (35 g) all-purpose flour

One 3¹/₂- to 5-pound (about 2-kg) chicken, cut up into 8 pieces

2 teaspoons (10 ml) coarse salt

¹/₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) poultry seasoning

2 quarts (2 L) water or chicken stock, enough to cover the chicken

1 bay leaf

1 large potato (12 ounces/340 g), peeled and diced

One 10-ounce (283-g) package frozen peas (2 cups/500 ml)

1 cup (250 ml) half-and-half or whole milk

¹/₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) paprika

¹/₄ to ¹/₂ teaspoon (1.25 to 2.5 ml) cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or chili powder (optional)

Biscuit dough (recipe follows)

Add the oil to a 6-quart (5.5-L) or larger pot and cook the carrots, celery, and onions over medium-high heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir through. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to lightly cook, about 2 minutes, until the flour absorbs into the vegetables and thickens slightly.

Season the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the salt, the pepper, and half the poultry seasoning. Add the seasoned chicken, water, the remaining salt, and the bay leaf to the vegetables and stir. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer gently, partially covered. Skim regularly to remove any foam or fat from the surface.

Remove the breast and wing pieces after 30 minutes. Remove the dark meat after 50 minutes, but leave in the chicken back. Simmer uncovered for an hour to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Once the chicken has cooled, discard the skin from the cooked chicken pieces, remove the meat from the bones with your fingers, and shred the meat.

When the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the chicken back from the gravy. Then stir the shredded meat into the stock along with the diced potatoes, peas, half-and-half or milk, paprika, the remaining poultry seasoning, and the cayenne, if using. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Discard the bay leaf. Let it simmer while you make the biscuits. This is a good time to heat the oven to 450°F (180°C).

If you want to bake the biscuits on top of the stew, you can put them atop the gravy and then bake for 13 to 17 minutes until they are slightly browned. (If desired, you can pour the simmering mixture into a casserole dish for baking and serving.) If you choose to bake them separately, just continue to simmer the chicken mixture on top of the stove until the biscuits are done and the potatoes have softened.