Weeknight Chicken Pot Pie

I adapted my chicken pot pie recipe so that it can be made on a weeknight buy using a purchased topping.  The sauce simmers while you are cooking the chicken breast and then gets a quick bake in the oven.  It is delicious and hearty.  I had a bag of shredded tricolor carrots on hand but if you can't find those, peel and dice 3 large carrots and put it in the pan before the onions go in.  For the topping, you can use puff pastry or pie crust but I had these tasty buttermilk biscuits I found in the all natural section at the supermarket.

Ingredients

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 bag (about 3 cups) of shredded carrots

5 tbsp of butter

1/2 cup of flour

4 cups of chicken stock

1 10 oz bag of frozen peas

1/2 cup of parsley, minced

1/4 cup of heavy cream

1 package of buttermilk biscuits

Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan.  Sauté for 3-5 minutes per side until nicely browned.  You do not need to cook the chicken through, you are searing in the juices and helping to season the pan for the sauce.  Remove the chicken to a 9X13 baking dish and place in the oven to cook the rest of the way through, about 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature has reached 165.  

In pan that you seared the chicken in, add the onions and celery and sauté until the vegetables have started to soften about 5-8 minutes.  Add the shredded carrots and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes until just starting to soften.  Add in the butter and melt completely.  Stir in the flour and continue to stir and cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken stock and turn the heat up to bring to a boil.  Next add the peas and parsley and bring back to a boil.  Reduce to medium heat and allow the mixture to cook, defrosting the peas for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reduce to low while you take care of the chicken.  

Remove the chicken from the oven, saving the baking dish to use to bake the last part.  Dice the chicken and add to the sauce.  Stir to evenly distribute all of the ingredients and then pour into the baking dish.  Bake for about 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375.  Remove the chicken mixture from the oven and top with the biscuits. Cook until the biscuits are browned and cooked through about another 15-20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!