From picnics at the beach to backyard barbeques, and Sunday dinners after church, you will find that everything goes better with gravy lavishly poured over top of it. From the thin red-eye gravy served with ham steaks to the heavily-peppered white gravy served with baked chicken, when you visit the South, be prepared to loosen your belt a notch or two and tuck in to some serious eats!

Make sure that you compliment the cook and thank them for a wonderful meal when you are finished eating. No Southern cook will tolerate going unappreciated, and you are liable to be chased around the dinner table by a granny wielding a rolling pin if you don’t mind your manners. At the very least, you’ll get a slap upside the head!

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken & Veggie Filling

3 boneless, skin-less chicken breasts

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

A few sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons butter, divided

8 ounces fresh white mushrooms, cleaned and diced, with tough stems removed

½ medium-large onion

1 cup frozen green peas

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large carrot, diced

Fresh thyme, for garnish

For the Sauce

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ cups whole milk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the Herb Biscuits

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted cold butter, sliced thin

1 cup whole milk, plus extra for brushing

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To Make the Chicken & Veggie Filling: 

Combine the chicken broth, ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper and thyme sprigs in a large skillet or sauté pan. Bring to a boil then add the chicken breasts making sure they fit in a single layer. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, turning once. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Allow the chicken to rest in the hot broth and finish cooking for about 15 more minutes. Remove the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces, set aside. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard. Set the broth aside until ready to use in the white sauce.

 

Prepare the white sauce per instructions below

 

In the large skillet used to poach the chicken, add 1 tablespoon butter and heat on medium-high. Once melted, add the chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms to the white sauce.

 

Put the skillet back on the heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the vegetables to the white sauce, then add the frozen peas and diced chicken. Gently fold to mix. Lightly spray a 13×9″ baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pan and spread evenly.

 

To Make the White Sauce:  Melt ½ cup butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the ½ cup of flour and stir until smooth. Continuing stirring for 2 minutes bringing the mixture to a boil. Gradually add the chicken broth and 1½ cups milk. Continuing stirring until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Turn off the heat and add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover and set aside.

 

To Make the Biscuit Topping & Bake:  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the sliced butter and using a pastry cutter, blend the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup of milk and thyme to the flour mixture. Gently stir with a fork just until a sticky dough forms. Do not over-mix. Using an ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough over the filling (makes about 14 biscuits). Brush the doughy biscuits with milk and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly – about 55-60 minutes. Allow the pot pie to rest about 15 minutes before serving.

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Quick Tip:  This dish is also great using leftover turkey, or even ham. Use 3 cups of meat and skip to the step where you prepare the veggies and add to the white sauce. You will need to provide 2 cups of chicken or veggie broth.

Recipe and image courtesy of Tricia at Saving Room for Dessert