This dish is interesting just from a naming standpoint. It is a casserole, so Chicken Pot Pie Bake definitely fits… but it’s also a classic chicken pot pie! Same creamy, savory, rich chicken pot pie sauce filled with succulent chicken and garden-fresh veggies! Same buttery, flaky, biscuit crust with wonderful herbaceous flavor and even a little cheese! So, is Chicken Pot Pie Bake a chicken pot pie or a true casserole? Oh well, when something tastes this good, who cares what it’s called?
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless, chopped into bite-size pieces
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or dried parsley
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- flaky sea salt, to taste
- fresh thyme sprigs, optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Step 3 –In a Dutch oven, large pot, or extra-large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
Step 4 –Add the onion and the frozen mixed vegetables to the melted butter and cook until the vegetables are softened and tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Step 5 –Add 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the flour to the veggie mixture, tossing to coat the veggies in the flour, and cooking, while stirring constantly, until the raw flour smell disappears, about 1 minute.
Step 6 –Reduce the heat to low.
Step 7 –Add the broth to the veggie mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.
Step 8 –Add 1 teaspoon of the fine salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and the black pepper to the veggie mixture and stir to combine.
Step 9 –Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, allowing the mixture to come to a boil and cooking until it thickens into a thick, gravy-like sauce, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 10 –Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Step 11 –Add the chicken to the mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
Step 12 –Cook the chicken until it becomes opaque, but not necessarily cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 13 –Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
Step 14 –Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Step 15 –In a bowl, add the remaining flour, the baking powder, the remaining garlic powder, and the remaining fine salt and stir to combine.
Step 16 –Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the remaining cold butter into the dry ingredients mixture until it resembles coarse crumbles.
Step 17 –Add 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and the remaining dried thyme to the butter mixture and stir to combine.
Step 18 –Add the milk and the vinegar to the butter mixture and stir until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Step 19 –Transfer the casserole from the oven and drop the dough into small mounds all over the top to cover the hot pot pie filling layer.
Step 20 –Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
Step 21 –Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the flaky salt over the casserole.
Step 22 –Bake until the biscuits start to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 23 –Allow the casserole to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Step 24 –Serve garnished with the fresh thyme sprigs.
