How Ina Garten Simplifies Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuit-Topped Stew

Chicken pot pie gives us all the vibes of fall's comfort foods. It's hard to resist a pastry crust baked to golden perfection and filled with a thick, savory gravy that holds peas, carrots, onions, and chunks of juicy chicken. Our only complaint: This dish can be time-consuming to cook — after all, making a pie and its filling is never a quick task. Try and rush it and your bottom crust might be undercooked and soggy and no one wants that; it can ruin the whole chicken pot pie experience. That's why we love Ina Garten's take on this recipe.

Per her website, the Barefoot Contessa keeps all the classic elements of this casserole-like dish we love but does away with the traditional pie crust. Instead, Garten turns it into a hearty stew with biscuits on top, giving it a real farmhouse flair. The cookbook author makes the stew in a similar manner to how you would make the gravy filling, only it is a little less gelatinous. She places it into a casserole dish, tops it with homemade biscuit dough, and bakes.

What you will love about Garten's riff on chicken pot pie is how easy it is to adapt. The store-bought is just fine chef makes her own biscuits, but if you don't have time or the desire to make your own, you could easily use a can of your favorite take-and-bake refrigerated biscuit brand. In fact, you can even doctor up those pre-made biscuits with a sprinkle of your favorite spices, a brush of garlic butter, or a little shredded cheese depending on what your mouth is craving without starting from scratch.

Additionally, if you are truly short on time, the thick soup-like consistency of Garten's biscuits and chicken stew is easy to replicate by opening a can of your favorite chicken noodle soup. Simply thicken it up with a little cornstarch or flour to get the texture you want, and add whatever vegetables and herbs you enjoy to make it feel and taste like you slaved over this dish.