Creole Chicken Potpie with Biscuit Crust

I love making potpies, and I love serving them for dinner because everyone loves them. It makes my husband happy, and it make my little boys happy. One of the challenges of making potpies can be getting a chance to make the crust ahead of time, so it can sit in the refrigerator long enough to make handling easier. Well! I had a stroke of genius the other day. I thought, "maybe I can just make a batch of biscuit dough and throw that on top." I did it, and I think I may prefer a biscuit topping over the standard pie crust. Crazy? Crazy good!

By the way, I usually make a stock with a fattier peice of chicken when I make potpies, but right now I have a freezer full of chicken breast tenders, so I'm making my pie fillings a bit differently. Although, this way also has fewer steps and makes the potpies easier and quicker.

Pie filling
Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken breast tenders
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup canned sweet peas
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 to 1 1/2 cups chardonnay
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken shock
1 heaping tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
seasonings:
salt
pepper
oregano
thyme
paprika
cayenne
garlic powder

Biscuit crust
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Directions:
In a large frying pan heat olive oil on high heat. Meanwhile, season chicken well with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Once oil is hot, sear chicken breasts on all side until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add a splash of wine to deglaze, then add chopped carrots.

While carrots are cooking, make biscuit dough. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the tines of a fork, cut shortening into flour until consistency of coarse meal. Add milk; stir with fork until mixture leaves sides of the bowl and forms a soft, moist dough. On a floured surface, toss lightly until no longer sticky. Roll out dough to fit the dimensions of the baking dish you will bake the potpie in.

Once the carrots are almost cooked, add butter and the onions. Add wine as needed to give plenty of liquid for the vegetables to cook in. When the onions become soft, add the mushrooms and garlic; continue adding wine as needed. Once the mushrooms are fully cooked, add flour and stir continuously to form a roux. Then, stir in chicken stock, cooking on medium heat and allowing the sauce to thicken. Once thickened, stir in heavy cream, add additional cayenne and salt to preferred taste. Return chicken to pan and stir in peas and chopped cilantro.

Pour contents of the pan into a large baking dish; top with biscuit dough. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and puffy like a biscuit. Enjoy!