Chicken stew with biscuits is a classic comfort food, but our version has a lighter touch by skipping heavy cream without sacrificing any flavor. Finish the dish in the oven with parmesan and herb drop biscuits on top.
Onions / Carrots / Garlic - Prep as directed (you can chop these by hand or pulse them a few times in a food processor). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Green onions / Cheese- Prep as directed. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Chicken - Chop into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes. Season with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Heat a Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add oil and chicken and saute just until the outside of the chicken is cooked (it will finish in the oven), ~3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and return pan to the heat. If the pan is very dry, add a splash of cooking oil. To the hot pan add onions, carrots, white parts of green onions (reserve the green parts) and garlic with a sprinkle of salt. Saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Sprinkle flour (just the portion for the stew) in the pan and cook, stirring, until no white spots of flour remain (don't worry if some flour sticks to the bottom of the pan).
Add in stock, bay leaves and peas and bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits of flour that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chicken and reduce heat to low.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, thyme and salt. Add butter, and using your hands (or a pastry cutter) break it into pieces in the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in milk, egg, green parts of green onions and parmesan just until combined. Drop biscuits onto the top of stew, making 1 large or 2 small biscuits per person.
Bake stew, uncovered, until the biscuits are golden on top and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
Serve stew with biscuits on top of each portion and enjoy!
Next time we plan to add more beans and fewer peas. Needs more stock. We couldn't find chard, so we used collard greens instead. Good, but definitely would have been better with chard.
I liked how quickly this stew came together. I have made other stew recipes that I prefer to this one but all of them have taken significantly more time to prepare. This recipe is perfect for a cold day where you're short on time but craving a warm, hearty meal.