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comfort foods

Chicken and Biscuits

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Adapted from the recipe by Blair Lonergan

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep time: 35 min 

Cook time: 22 min

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

For the filling:

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk*
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion*
  • 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots*
  • 1 cup chopped celery*
  • 1 cup trimmed and chopped green beans*
  • 3 cloves of garlic*, finely chopped
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 4 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken*
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary*, 10 sprigs fresh thyme*, 8 fresh sage leaves*, all tied in a bundle

For the biscuits:

  • 2 cups biscuit mix
  • ⅔-¾ cup cold buttermilk (or sub with regular milk*)
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese*
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley*
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Prepare the filling:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth and milk. Set aside.
  3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and green beans; sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, stirring for 1 minute. Add flour and continue cooking and stirring for 1 more minute. Reduce heat to medium and gradually stir in the chicken broth mixture. Add the herb bundle.
  4. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring regularly, until thick and bubbly (about 5-6 minutes). Make sure that the mixture doesn’t boil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add chicken.
  5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 10 minutes while you prepare the biscuit dough.

Prepare biscuits:

  1. Use a fork to stir the biscuit mix, buttermilk, cheese, and parsley until a soft dough forms.
  2. Remove the chicken mixture from the oven, take off the cover, and give the filling a stir. Use a large scoop to drop about ¼-cup of the biscuit dough at a time onto the hot chicken mixture. You should have about 8 biscuits on top of the dish.
  3. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in a biscuit comes out clean.
  4. Stir melted butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits, and serve.

Healthy comfort foods to make your New Year’s resolutions last all year

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By Emily Meagher

Michaela at Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Madison Jackson

Many of us start a new year with a fresh set of resolutions, new habits to live by for a healthier, happier self. But a few weeks in, the cold, dark winter can make it hard to keep up our motivation. If you can’t get your healthy food resolutions to stick, change the way you approach them. Instead of cutting out foods you love and feeling guilty when you inevitably “cheat,” upgrade your favorite comfort meals with real, fresh ingredients to treat both your body and soul. Here are a few tips on what to look for at the farmers’ market.

Back to the roots
In the winter months, farmers bring loads of root vegetables to the market. Himanee Gupta-Carlson from Squashville Farm takes this opportunity to get the comfort of a chicken pot pie in a healthier jacket. Make a roux with a good quality bone broth. Potatoes and turnips help thicken the sauce to reduce additional ingredients needed, and carrots add flavor and color.

Beef shank with polenta and vegetables, photo by Emily Meagher

Slow-cooked for the soul
Good quality, fresh meats don’t need many additives to taste great. Lay off on the salt and extra fats and enjoy a cut from the market in its full glory. Longlesson Farm’s Christophe Robert suggests trying beef shanks. It is a leaner (and cheaper) meat, cooked low and slow in a crockpot (bonus: your kitchen will smell amazing!). Simmer with non-starchy vegetables like carrots or turnips. Serve with a quick polenta made from Squashville Farm’s dried heirloom Abenaki corn. Then use the shank’s marrow bone to create a nutrient-filled bone broth, and blend it up with the stewed veggies for a hearty soup. Add in a statement ingredient towards the end of cooking, like beet or tomato, to add color.

Plant-based or gluten-free?
If you are trying a no- or low-meat lifestyle, mushrooms can provide a fantastic, bold alternative. Jeff Killenberger from 518 Farms suggests using brain-boosting lions’ mane to make “crab” cakes. Or go for sweet by combining lions’ mane, cinnamon, and sugar for a vegan and gluten-free “apple crisp.” Butternut squash can also lift a dish by adding nutrients, color, and creaminess. Try a vegan mac & “cheese” by replacing the dairy with butternut squash. Up the health factor by using whole-wheat pasta, or go gluten-free by swapping spätzle from The Vermont Spätzle Company.

 

This week’s recipe: Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese