Cast Iron Southwestern-Style Chicken and Biscuits
By Sara MayerPublished on July 15, 2017
Time
2¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmedSalt and pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 celery ribs, chopped fine1 onion, chopped fine1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried1 ½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 ¾ cups chicken broth 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces1 cup frozen corn, thawed3 ounces (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)3 scallions, sliced thin1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until shimmering. Brown chicken, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add celery and onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 2½ cups broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and bring to simmer.
- Nestle chicken into skillet along with any accumulated juices. Reduce heat to gentle simmer, cover, and cook until chicken registers 175 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
- Transfer chicken to carving board, let cool slightly, then pull into large chunks using 2 spoons. Stir shredded chicken, bell pepper, and corn into skillet.
- Whisk remaining 1½ cups flour, cheddar, scallions, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Stir in cream and remaining ¼ cup broth until just combined. Using greased ¼-cup dry measure, scoop out and drop 9 mounds of dough onto chicken mixture, spaced about ½ inch apart. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Time
2¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 ½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ¾ cups chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 ounces (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 ½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ¾ cups chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 ounces (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 ½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ¾ cups chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 ounces (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
Why This Recipe Works
Southern chicken and biscuits is a hearty oven-to-table staple that we aimed to streamline by cooking the entire dish in a cast-iron skillet. We started by searing boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the hot skillet to give them a good crust and create some browning, or fond, in the pan. We then set the meat aside while we sautéed onion, celery, and thyme for an aromatic base of flavor. We added flour and broth and quickly poached the chicken in the sauce, then shredded it into fork-friendly pieces. To give this classic dish a modern update, we went for Southwestern flavors, stirring bell pepper and corn into the stew with the shredded chicken. Next came the biscuits. In some recipes the biscuits are cooked separately, but we wanted to stick with a one-dish preparation, which meant simply dropping spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top of the stew before sliding the skillet into the oven. Our major challenge was creating a biscuit that could sit on our brothy stew and still emerge from the oven fully cooked. The answer was making a drier biscuit that could absorb some liquid from the stew without compromising texture. Adding cheddar and scallions to the biscuit dough bumped up the flavor profile.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until shimmering. Brown chicken, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add celery and onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 2½ cups broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and bring to simmer.
- Nestle chicken into skillet along with any accumulated juices. Reduce heat to gentle simmer, cover, and cook until chicken registers 175 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
- Transfer chicken to carving board, let cool slightly, then pull into large chunks using 2 spoons. Stir shredded chicken, bell pepper, and corn into skillet.
- Whisk remaining 1½ cups flour, cheddar, scallions, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Stir in cream and remaining ¼ cup broth until just combined. Using greased ¼-cup dry measure, scoop out and drop 9 mounds of dough onto chicken mixture, spaced about ½ inch apart. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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