Tasting Tuesday: Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Biscuits

It’s cold in Indiana this year. Like legit cold. I’ve been pretty spoiled with our last couple years of mild winters, so I almost forgot how chilly the Midwest can be. I’ve been trying to mostly stay indoors when I can, but after a busy winter break, I’m already going a bit stir-crazy on long weekends. To solve this problem, I’ve been cooking to avoid the huge piles of homework stacked up on the kitchen table.

Husband and I cleaned out our entire pantry over break and sorted all of our non-expired dry goods and spices. We are trying to use up things before doing a big grocery shopping, so I was looking for a recipe that involved cornmeal and celery salt (tricky combination?). I found it in this Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Biscuits from Rachel Cooks. The recipe made a big pan that was perfect to serve me, my sister, and Husband for a hearty dinner while still having leftovers for lunch the next day. (The biscuits got a little hard overnight in the fridge, so I poured some milk over them when re-heating).

I hope you are also keeping warm and eating good food. Let me know if there are other winter recipes I should be trying!

Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Biscuits

Here’s what you need:
For Biscuit Topping:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk

For Chicken Stew:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 large stalk)
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (2% or whole, skim doesn’t work well in this recipe)
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, green beans)

(I also threw in a dash of herbs de Provence and a bay leaf.)

And here’s what you do:

For the biscuits:

1. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined.
2. Cut in butter using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers, until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in cheese and buttermilk until just combined. Place bowl of biscuit dough in fridge while you make the rest of the stew.

For the stew:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large oven-safe dutch oven or deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
3. Add onions and celery to hot pan (add a small amount of olive oil if needed) and cook, stirring, until translucent and softened.
4. Add butter and flour and cook until butter is melted. Stir in milk and broth slowly while stirring, and continue to cook until simmering and thickened, about 8 minutes.
5. Add in parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, celery seed, frozen vegetables, and chicken, and cook until mixture begins to simmer again.
6. Drop biscuit dough onto stew using a spoon or your hands in about 1/3 cup portions.
7. Transfer to oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until bubbling around edges and biscuits are golden brown.

Enjoy!