Chicken Stew with Biscuits
For the Stew
3 chicken breasts
A pot full of water
2 ½ cups chicken stock- ( 2 ½ cups water with 2 bouillon cubes, or whatever the bouillon calls for, for 2 cups of water)
3 T butter
¼ cup chopped onions
3/8 cup flour
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
2 T. parsley
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 T cream
For the Biscuits
2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 stick cold butter, diced
¾ cup half and half (use half milk and half cream)
Put 3 chicken breasts in a pot full of water. Bring to a boil. If the chicken breasts were frozen, boil for 5 minutes. Turn off stove and let the chicken breasts continue to cook in the water while you prepare the sauce.
In a glass bowl put 2 ½ cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes. Put in microwave and heat until it boils. (That makes your chicken stock) In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until thick, about 1 minute. Add the diced carrots, peas and parsley. Cook until carrots are not hard anymore.
While the vegetables are cooking cut the chicken breasts into cubes.
When the vegetables are cooked add the chicken to the sauce. Add the salt, pepper and cream
Put the sauce in a glass baking dish.
Bake for 10-15 minutes in an oven at 375, or microwave.
Make the biscuits.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. The butter should be about the size of peas or smaller. Don’t work it so much that it becomes sticky. Try for a coarse corn meal texture.
Add the half and half. Use a spoon to mix the flour into a ball. Don’t beat it, the biscuits will be tough.
Put the dough out on a floured surface. Lightly knead the dough until it is smooth. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 ½ inch round cutter.
Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.