Chicken and Biscuits Cobbler

I know cobbler for dessert is an easy concept to get behind, but I can promise you that the technology translates equally well to savory dishes. After all, what’s a cobbler? It’s just a dish where dollops of dough bake on top of a filling so the dough comes out tender and permeated with flavor while backing up the filling below with some starchy comfort. This Chicken and Biscuits Cobbler uses that same technique with a creamy, savory mixture of chicken and veggies and a simple buttery drop biscuit to top it. And oh my, is it good.

So chicken and biscuits obviously go together. And what about chicken and dumplings? Chicken pot pie? This dish fits somewhere in that same arena, where stewy herb-scented chicken mixtures and doughy goodness meet. The filling is reminiscent of one you’d use for a chicken pot pie – it has sauteed carrots, onions, celery, and peas, and a velvety sauce that’s just kissed with some creaminess. Of course there’s also chicken, and our filling features some thyme and rosemary too, which both bring in a lovely earthy note.

The biscuits are a super simple drop biscuit. They use melted butter so you don’t have to worry about cutting anything in, and they take all of two minutes to mix up. All you have to do with the dough is drop it in rounds onto the filling (about 1/4 cup works well) and put the whole dish in the oven.

As the filling bakes and gets bubbly, the biscuits nestle in and plump right up. They gain some of that savory flavor from the filling along the way, but even if they didn’t their butteriness would more than make up for it. It’s the kind of hearty and delicious combo you turn to when you want true comfort food, and lucky for all of us, it also happens to be pretty easy to whip up.

Chicken and Biscuits Cobbler

45 minutes to prepare serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • For filling:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • For drop biscuits:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • Chives, snipped, for serving

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 7x11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over the top, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
  4. Slowly add broth, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in cream, chicken, peas, thyme, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into prepared baking pan.
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pour in butter and milk and stir until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
  7. Drop dough by level 1/4 cupfuls onto chicken mixture, 1/2-inch apart.
  8. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Belle of the Kitchen.