Just in time for the arrival of cooler evenings, here’s one of my favorite comfort dinners—Chicken Pot Pie. It’s simple to customize this recipe to suit your family’s taste. Stir in whatever vegetable you desire before pouring the mixture into the casserole dish. For ease of preparation, you can start with a rotisserie chicken (I like to get them at Sam’s Club). Make a large 9×13 pot pie, or fill individual ramekins and top with a single large biscuit. Dig in!

FILLING:
6 cups cooked chicken, torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
8 oz  fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp dried thyme (optional)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half-n-half or heavy cream
3 Tbsp freshly chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet, melt butter, then saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms until tender. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; stir and cook briefly until well mixed. Stir in chicken broth, thyme, and cream; add peas. Cook until peas are tender and sauce is thickened. Add chicken and parsley; salt and pepper to taste. Keep mixture very hot until biscuits are made, then pour into greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Place on baking sheet lined with foil to catch any spillovers. Preheat oven to 425 degrees while making biscuits for the top.

DROP BISCUITS:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, then cooled for 5 minutes

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in measuring cup.

Add buttermilk to flour mixture and stir gently just until dough pulls away from bowl.

Drop 12 large spoonfuls of biscuit batter over hot chicken mixure in baking dish. (If the mixture is cool, your biscuits will be soggy.) Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. While it’s baking, how about making a crisp salad to complete your dinner!

3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half and then the yolks.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly to keep from sticking. Cook and stir until pudding is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour pudding through a mesh strainer into a bowl, using a rubber spatula to stir the pudding through. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter melts. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pudding to prevent skin from forming. Chill until set, about three hours.

To serve, pour in individual serving bowls. Top with berries and/or peaches and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Makes 3 cups, about 4 servings.