Earlier this week I did a new video on my You Tube Channel, Marie Cooks up a New Life. It was how to spatchcock a whole chicken and then cook/roast it. I spatchcocked one before the video and had it roasting while I was filming the video so that I would have an already cooked chicken to show at the end of the video.
Needless to say I ended up with a LOT of cooked chicken that needs using up. I have frozen the bones and drumsticks in two separate zip lock baggies so that I can make soup at a later date, and I am trying to make a dent in the remainder of the chicken.
My father is supposed to be coming here for supper tomorrow night and I will use some of it then to make some chicken fried rice, but I will undoubtedly freeze the rest for use at a later date.
I love, LOVE creamed Chicken & Biscuits. It is a very old fashioned kind of a dish and something that my grandmother used to make and probably her mother before her! It is an easy comfort food dish that is not only very quick and easy to make but also filling and incredibly delicious!
You don't need to serve the creamed chicken over biscuits if you don't want to. Its also very delicious served spooned over rice, or boiled potatoes, or even mashed potatoes, but biscuits are very nice if you have them or want to take the time to make some.
Creamy and filled with flavor, this is rich and incredibly tasty. I have used dried tarragon to flavor the cream gravy but you could also use thyme or marjoram, or even summer savory, which is what my grandmother used. Summer Savory is a very Eastern Canada type of herb to use and is used in a lot of things here in the Maritime Provinces. When I lived in the U.K. I would always bring a couple of packaged back with me whenever I had the opportunity to visit my home. It is not something I would ever want to be without!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMED CHICKEN AND BISCUITS
Just a few simple ingredients. There is nothing extra out of the ordinary here! It helps, speed-wise, to have your biscuits made ahead of time, or you could use a good quality canned or frozen biscuit. I make my biscuits up a batch at a time and then freeze them in a double thick zip lock baggie so I can take out as many as I want or need at any given time. It only makes sense!
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
- 2 TBS all purpose plain flour
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 3/4 cup (180ml) full fat milk
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/4 cup (43g) frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces/227g) cooked chicken, diced
- 4 homemade all butter biscuits
Most of the ingredients are very simple and are things we will all have to hand. You could use leftover rotisserie chicken, or roast chicken. I think you could probably even use canned chicken. I used the breast meat, and cut it into a 1/2 inch dice.
I used frozen Green Giant baby peas. To thaw I simply cover with boiling water and then drain them off. They are perfect then and only need heating through.
I used my handy chopper to chop the onion. I bought one of these after watching Anna of Anna's Mobile Home Life use hers. After watching what quick work it made of chopping vegetables, I thought to myself, I need one of those and I love it!
As I said, I did have my biscuits already baked and in the freezer. It was only a matter of warming them up in the oven, which I easily did while I was making the creamed chicken.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMED CHICKEN & BISCUITS
If you have the biscuits already made, this goes together in about 20 minutes tops. Quick, easy and delicious, this is a fabulous weeknight supper! Follow the photos from the left top, down to the bottom and across to the right for step by step photos.
Pop your biscuits into a low oven to warm them up while you are making the cream gravy.
Melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, without coloring, until softened. Whisk in the flour and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for about 30 seconds or so.
Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, until blended, then slowly whisk in the milk.
Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbled and thickens, about 2 minutes. Reduce to low and then whisk in the tarragon.
Stir in the chicken and peas. Cook for a few minutes longer, or until everything is well heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Split hot biscuits in half and then spoon the chicken and gravy over top, dividing it equally amongst the biscuits. Enjoy!
One mouthful of this and I was back in my grandmother's kitchen. This was so delicious that my mouth was watering even before I tasted it. You could stretch this to serve four people by having a variety of sides, but I was greedy and ate two right off the bat.
I will repent tomorrow. This was well worth every rich and deliciously decadent mouthful! A tossed salad would be lovely on the side of this!
My mother always called me the Queen of Leftovers. She said I could make an old boot taste good, and I guess there is some truth to that statement. Here are some other ways to use up cooked chicken that are also delicious!
EASY BBQ CHICKEN TOSTADAS - Crisp charred Tortillas topped with a delicious mix of shredded leftover cooked chicken, spicy chipotle paste, BBQ sauce and cheese. Baked until the cheese melts and drizzled with more BBQ sauce and some chopped spring onions. All you need is a salad on the side!
CRUSTY CHICKEN POT PIE BUNS - Leftover cooked chicken and vegetables in a tasty, creamy sauce. Stuffed into a hollowed out crusty roll and topped with stuffing. These are then baked until the filling is hot and bubbling and heated through.
No faffing about with rolling out pastry. These are quite simply a delicious way to use up what's in the refrigerator. If you have leftover gravy, so much the better!
Yield: 2 servings
Creamed Chicken & Biscuits
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
An old fashioned recipe for chicken in a delicious creamy gravy with peas, spooned over fresh hot biscuits for a real taste treat!
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
- 2 TBS all purpose plain flour
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 3/4 cup (180ml) full fat milk
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/4 cup (43g) frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces/227g) cooked chicken, diced
- 4 homemade all butter biscuits
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, without coloring, until softened. Whisk in the flour and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for about 30 seconds or so.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, until blended, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbled and thickens, about 2 minutes. Reduce to low and then whisk in the tarragon.
- Stir in the chicken and peas. Cook for a few minutes longer, or until everything is well heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Split hot biscuits in half and then spoon the chicken and gravy over top, dividing it equally amongst the biscuits. Enjoy!
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I make the same recipe except with a can of tuna, and I add some grated cheese. Any leftovers get chopped up for the cats, you could probably do the same for the chicken dish. Catfood is expensive, so getting them on leftovers stretches the bill.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you could. I have really finicky cats. One will only eat fish, and won't touch people with a ten foot pole. My mother had a ginger cat like that as well. xo
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