Go
get your fat pants. You'll put on a few pounds just looking at this
one! I can put this recipe way up there with my favorites. Probably just
under chicken and dumplings. When I was young, I used to walk home from
school wondering what my Mom was cooking for dinner and hoping it was
this dish. It is amazing. It is the ultimate comfort food.
Chicken Biscuits 'n' Gravy
Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup cold buttermilk
Whisk
together the measured flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a
large bowl. Add the cold butter pieces and toss to just coat them in the
flour mixture. Place the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Using
a pastry blender or 2 knives, and working quickly so as not to soften
the butter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s in
pea-size pieces. Drizzle in the buttermilk and stir just until moist and
dough comes together.
Generously
dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out onto the surface
and dust the top with more flour. Using floured hands, gently pat the
dough into a 1-inch-thick circle. Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter dipped
in flour, cut out as many biscuits as possible (press straight down
through the dough—do not twist the cutter, or the biscuits will not rise
properly).
Transfer
the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch
apart. Gather the scraps into a ball, pat it into a 1-inch-thick
circle, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat as needed until you have 8
total. Discard any remaining dough. Bake until the biscuits have risen
and are golden brown on top, about 15 to 16 minutes. Transfer them to a
wire rack. Meanwhile, make the gravy.
Gravy
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
3 1/2 cups whole milk or half and half
1 rotisserie chicken, torn into pieces (breast or thighs or both)
Boil potatoes until tender. Drain well and set aside.
Heat
butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to
medium. Add the flour, salt and pepper. You can add a pinch of cayenne
here if you’d like to kick it up a bit. Cook, stirring frequently, until
the raw taste of the flour has cooked off, about 1 minute.
Gradually
stir in the milk, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the
pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering,
stirring often, until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 1 minute
more (the gravy will continue to thicken as it sits). Taste and season
with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Add
the torn chicken pieces and the potatoes and stir to combine. Simmer on
low heat for about 20 more minutes stirring every few minutes. Serve
in bowl or plate and top with a biscuit!
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