Chicken Potpie Casserole & Oven Woes

Well, my oven has decided it doesn't want to work properly. It overheats, not cooking dishes properly, which is likely due to having one of the heating elements fail. I have to give it credit as it is ancient, as in it was likely put in sometime around the 1970s. Who even knew that GM made ovens? I certainly didn't until I moved into this house. And this is my first go around with a wall unit style oven (makes for keeping the house warm).

Check out these old appliances; the photo about seven pics down is a spitting image of my (failing) kitchen gem. As I am currently in a rental, there is little hope of having it replaced before I move. So I make due by altering my baking and roasting times, usually turning the dial down by about 25 or more degrees. I also rotate everything once every five or so minutes. Even with the extra care and attention, one in four baking attempts result in charred bottoms. Le sigh...

One of the recent dishes which successfully made it out of my needy oven was a Chicken Potpie Casserole. If you are anywhere near my neck of the woods, you have likely survived the insane amount of rain we've had (it feels like Oregon weather around here). And what goes great with rain? Casserole and biscuits!

Over the weekend I had made a baked chicken, seasoned with rosemary and oranges (based loosely on this recipe), and had a need to use up the leftovers. I usually make Chicken Potpie using some sort of pastry dough/pie shell I have in the freezer, in a more traditional fashion. After some online exploring, I came across this recipe for Chicken Potpie Casserole from Taste of Home which suited my needs perfectly. As I already had a heaping portion of chicken gravy leftover from the chicken dinner, plus some mashed potatoes, I modified this recipe a bit. I also am not a lover of peas, so I replaced them with chopped celery. And the pimentos from the original recipe just didn't scream down home cooking to me, so I omitted them.

The end result was simply amazing. This just may be the best Chicken Potpie recipe I have ever come across and made. Part of that may be due to how awesome the original baked chicken was, but I am also giving some credit where it is due - the recipe. Next time you have leftover chicken and have a hankering for some comfort food, give this one a try. Enjoy!

Chicken Potpie Casserole
Adapted from: Taste of Home

• 1 ½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 2/3 cup sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1-2 cups chicken gravy (see original recipe if you don’t have gravy on hand)
• 2-4 cups cubed cooked chicken (any meat works as it’s a casserole)
• Seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, onion powder, etc.)
• Leftover mashed potatoes (optional) 

Biscuit Topping

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• ½ cup cold butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup milk

In a large saucepan, sauté the mushrooms, carrots, and onion in butter until tender. If you don’t have gravy on hand, revert to the original recipe and follow the step by sprinkling flour into the pan. If you do have gravy on hand, add the chicken and heat through. Next add the celery and seasonings. Follow with adding the gravy to the pan and stir until well combined. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, scoop little spoonfuls of it into the prepped casserole dish, and then pour the mixture over the top. If you don't have pre-made gravy, you will have already made some in cooking the mixture and can go straight to pouring the mixture into a greased 2 to 2 ½ quart baking dish, then set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Stir in the milk until just moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out the dough to about a ½” thickness. Cut with a floured 2 ½” biscuit cutter or use the rim of a glass.

Place the biscuits over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered at 400 F degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm and eat lots.