Dinner Tonight

Okay, it's leftovers. What an inauspicious beginning to a blog about recipes and cooking. I have a friend who shudders at leftovers. In fact, he will not even take home leftover pizza from a restaurant. I am thankful for leftovers, though, and I am thankful to have a husband who likes them. Leftovers provide a welcome respite between recipe adventures. When properly planned, they accommodate the late night at work,  quick lunch at my desk, or the evening when I just want to veg out and watch American Idol without reading a recipe. (Unfortunately, my husband likes leftovers more than he does American Idol.)

Tonight's leftovers: 

Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Stew with Biscuits (serves 12)

Stew:

3 whole chicken breasts

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

5 cups chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2)

3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots) blanched for 2 minutes

2 cups frozen peas (10 oz. pkg)

1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions

1/2 cup mined parsley

Biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 pound cold unsalted butter (1 stick) diced

3/4 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water for egg wash.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts on sheet pan and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through (no pink). Set aside until cool enough to handle, then discard skin, remove meat from bones and cut into large dice—4–6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat chicken broth and dissolve bouillon cubes in broth.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over med-low heat for 10-15 minutes until translucent. Add flour and cover over low heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add hot chicken stock to sauce. Simmer 1 minute more until thick. Add 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and heavy cream. Add chicken, carrots, peas, onions, parsley.

Mix well. Place stew in 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make biscuits. Combine flour, baking power, salt, and sugar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle. Add butter and mix on low until butter is size of peas. Add half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in parsley. Dump dough on floured board and roll out to 3/8-inch thick with rolling pin. Cut 12 circles with 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Remove stew from the oven and place biscuits on top. Brush with egg wash. Bake another  20-30 minutes until biscuits are brown.

Notes on this recipe:

You really do have to blanch the carrots for 2 minutes—they'll be a little crunchy if you don't. I cut the recipe in half for us. It's plenty for two big meals in a row. Any more, and we'd be throwing it out. Make sure the butter diced for your biscuits is cold. If you get the biscuits done early, pop 'em in the fridge so they stay chilly.