Biscuit-Topped Chicken Potpie

When I was a kid and my mom didn't have time to make a real dinner for us, she would occasionally throw some packaged potpies in the oven. They had a deliciously flaky crust, perfectly salty gravy, and not much resembling real vegetables or meat. I loved them. But the thought of eating one of those today makes my stomach curl (I'm not big on the trans-fats these days...). My alternative is this "potpie" with real vegetables and no pie crust...it's actually more like a stew with biscuits baked on top. It's the perfect sitting-at-home-in-a-snow-storm meal.
This recipe is fairly fast and definitely easy. And you probably already have all the ingredients for it on hand. The topping is made simpler by using a biscuit mix rather than from scratch. But if you don't have any bisquick on hand (like I didn't today), you can make the topping from a regular biscuit recipe like this one that I used (which explains why my topping looks more like real biscuits. If you follow the recipe below exactly, your topping will be smoother on top). Either way, you, your spouse, your parents, your neighbor next door, and even your kids will love it. This is comfort food at its best.

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe very very loosely adapted from Cooking Light October 2006
Pictures by Kelly

Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped (or 1 cup pearl onions, whole)
2 medium sized potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped*
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables**
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (3/4 tsp fresh)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch backing dish.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme; saute 2 minutes. Add potatoes, saute 4 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to soften.
3. Stir in chicken, mixed vegetables, salt, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
4. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and milk to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, until liquid has thickened.
5. Pour vegetable mixture into 9 x 13 in pan.

*As always, I like to broil my chicken. It doesn't matter how you cook it for this recipe as long as it's done most of the way through when you add it to the vegetable mixture.
**If you don't have a mixture of frozen vegetables, use a mixture of fresh. I used 3 carrots, 1 green pepper, and some frozen peas and green beans in mine.

Biscuit:
1 1/4 cups biscuit mix (like Bisquick)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

1. In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, milk and egg. Stir just until combined (there may still be a few lumps in the batter).
2. Spoon batter evenly over chicken mixture. Spread as evenly as possible, though you may have a few "holes" where the biscuit will spread. Bake for 20 or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.