This Chicken Stew with Biscuit Topping is one of my favourite comfort foods: piping hot creamy chicken stew topped with golden, buttery biscuits. It’s homey and satisfying.
The beauty of it is that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand – I used cabbage and potatoes, but you could substitute or add carrots, parsnips, peas, green beans, etc.
This biscuit-topped chicken stew is my shortcut to cozy comfort food, right up there with my Chicken Potato Casserole and Chicken Dumpling Soup Recipe.
Here’s What You Need
Chicken Stew Ingredients
Ingredient names only, listed for quick shopping.
Filling Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Onion
- Carrots and celery, in a large dice
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh rosemary
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth
- Soy sauce
- Frozen peas
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
Biscuit Topping Ingredients
My biscuit dough recipe is a really easy one – no kneading, rolling and cutting circles. Just mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, add buttermilk, and spoon on top of the stew.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Cold unsalted butter
- Buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute)
- Paprika (optional)
Full ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the article.
Love biscuits? Try them as a base for pizza with biscuit dough crust and biscuit dough cinnamon rolls.
Substitutions and Variations
Swap what you need and tailor it to your fridge.
- Chicken options: Use cubed chicken breasts, leftover roast or rotisserie chicken, or turkey (see also: Turkey Stew and Mashed Potato Dumplings). You can even use bone in, and just discard the skin and bones before topping.
- Gluten-free: Replace flour in both stew and biscuits with a 1:1 blend.
- No buttermilk: Use milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar; or thick Greek yogurt thinned with milk.
- Vegetarian: Skip chicken and use white beans or mushrooms with vegetable broth.
- Add-ins: Try corn, green beans, chopped kale, parsnips, or cabbage.
- Creamier sauce: Stir in a splash of heavy cream.
- Puff pastry top: Swap biscuits for a sheet of thawed puff pastry on top of the filling and bake till golden.
Special Tools
- Dutch oven/oven-safe large pot if you don’t have a dutch oven, like the one I use for my dutch oven beef stew, you can cook the filling in a regular large pot then transfer it to a baking dish before topping as a stew and biscuits casserole..
How to Make Chicken Stew With Biscuit Topping: An Easy Guide
Here’s my step-by-step method. It’s straightforward and cozy.
Brown the Chicken
Brown chicken thighs in olive oil in a Dutch oven. Remove to a plate; they don’t need to be fully cooked yet.
Sauté the Veggies
Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, 5–7 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir to coat; cook 2 minutes.
Add the Broth
Stir in soy sauce and hot chicken broth slowly, scraping the pot. Return chicken and simmer 15–20 minutes on medium-low, until chicken is cooked through and stew thickens.
Add the Peas
Stir in frozen peas and adjust seasoning. Keep the stew gently bubbling while you make the biscuit topping.
Make the Biscuit Dough
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until combined; don’t overmix.
Top and Bake
Drop 8–10 spoonfuls of biscuit dough over the hot filling. Sprinkle with paprika if using. Bake in a preheated oven until biscuits are golden and cooked through. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
6 Common Mistakes When Making Chicken Stew With Biscuit Topping
These are the big ones to avoid:
- Skipping the sear: Browning the chicken adds tons of flavor.
- Warm or melting butter: Cold butter is key for flaky biscuits.
- Overmixing biscuit dough: Leads to tough, dense biscuits.
- Adding peas too early: They’ll get mushy; stir in at the end.
- Under-salting: Season each layer for depth.
- Too much liquid: The filling should be thick and creamy, not soupy.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make the filling ahead, then add biscuit dough and bake before serving.
Storing Leftovers
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container up to 4 days. Biscuits soften but still taste great.
- Separate: For best texture, store leftover biscuits and stew separately if possible.
Freezing
- Freeze the filling only: Up to 3 months. Cool completely before freezing.
- Bake fresh biscuits: Add fresh dough and bake when ready to eat.
Reheating Chicken Stew with Biscuit Topping
- Oven: 350°F until warmed through, 15–20 minutes. Tent with foil if biscuits brown too fast.
- Microwave: Individual portions reheat well; add a splash of broth if thick.
FAQs About Chicken Stew With Biscuit Topping
Yes. Stir in cooked chicken before simmering the stew and reduce the simmer time. You’re just heating through and thickening the sauce.
Use plant-based butter and your favourite non-dairy milk with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar. Check biscuit dough consistency and adjust as needed.
No. Any oven-safe pot or deep casserole dish works. You can also cook the stew in a regular pot, then transfer to a baking dish before topping with biscuits.
Absolutely. Place thawed puff pastry over the hot stew and bake until golden and puffed. Vent with a few small slits if you like.
Add extra broth a teaspoon at a time and stir until it loosens to your liking. Taste and adjust salt after thinning.
Other Cozy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Chicken Stew with Biscuit Topping (One Pot!)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium stalk celery chopped
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 large potato cut in bite-sized pieces
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold butter cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven (oven-proof casserole) over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces on all sides; transfer to a plate.
- Add onion, celery and cabbage to dutch oven and saute until softened. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pot; add potato, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook until potato is cooked through and stew thickens, about 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- To make biscuit topping, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender (or working quickly with your fingers), work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.
- Using two spoons, drop biscuit dough on top of stew. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! I substituted celery and carrots for the cabbage. Like an easy chicken pot pie 😂
This recipe was SO good. True comfort food, and so satisfying. I loved how easy the biscuit topping was. I used celery, carrots, peas and broccoli for my veggies (no cabbage). I can’t wait for tomorrow’s leftovers!
So glad you enjoyed it, Crystal! Thanks for the review.