Chicken Pot Pie made with cream cheese? Yes, please.

There are a few things you should know about me before I post this first recipe.
1. I am not a master chef.  I'm a newlywed, remember?  I'm still getting used to cooking. 
2. Recipes are my best friend.  I never deviate from them. ever.  I also never attempt to make anything without them.  Just ask Lester about my attempt at creating a new buffalo chicken pizza.  Epic fail.

For these reasons, you will probably never see any recipes that I have created myself.  All recipes will come from cookbooks, food blogs, or my dear mother.  Credit will be given where credit is due so that you know who to thank. :)

Now that that is out of the way, let's get down to business...
Last night Lester and I came home from work and were both exhausted.  As in, we both sat down on the couch and neither of us wanted to get up.  (Which was my fault, I wanted to watch the Royal Wedding, and being the dear man he is, Lester got up, made a pot of coffee, and watched it with me) :) 
I was about two seconds away from asking Lester if we could just order pizza for dinner.  Instead, I took a deep breath, got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to make Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits.  Am I so glad I did!  This meal was phenomenal!  It was so warm and homey!  A perfect dish to end a long day with. And, we have leftovers!

The recipe comes from Joy the Baker.  I love Joy.  She makes delicious, delicious food.  I've tried a few of her recipes with great success, so I definitely recommend you look through her recipes and try one yourself!
But, try this one first!  It's scrumptious!
The biscuits were the most intimidating part for me, but that is because the last time I tried homemade biscuits they turned out flat and hockey-puck like.  I'm sure you could always substitute with canned biscuits to save time and frustration.  But, mine turned out beautifully, so I know yours will too!

The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I left out the chives in the biscuits.  And, that's simply because I forgot to buy them at the store. I also substituted the zucchini for celery because we have an abundance in our fridge. :)
Oh, and I halved the recipe, because there are only two of us :)  The full recipe is included here, though.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

For the Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (depending on how spicy you like your biscuits)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese, cold
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

Start by making the biscuits.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chopped chives.
Add butter and cream cheese to the dry ingredients.  Use your fingers to quickly incorporate the fat into the flour.  Break up the butter and cream cheese with your fingers until some of the fat is the size of oat flakes and some of the fat is the size of small pebbles.
Make a small well in the center of the fat and flour mixture.  Add the buttermilk.  Using a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Try to moisten all of the flour bits with the liquid.  Dump the shaggy biscuit dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead together until dough forms a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.
Use a round, 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut biscuits.  Gather the dough scraps, knead for a few turns, and cut out more biscuits until no dough remains.  Place biscuits on a small cookie sheet and place in the fridge until ready to bake.
Next, make the filling.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded chicken meat
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cup thinly diced carrots
1 cup diced zucchini (optional)
1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Dice onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, and thaw the frozen peas.  Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk in the flour.  Mixture will be very thick.  Heat for 1 minute.  Turn flame to low and add the chicken stock.  Whisk until no flour bits remain.  Whisk in the milk and add the cream cheese.  Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, untilcream cheese has melted and the mixture is the consistency of warm, thick pudding.  Add chicken, lemon, and nutmeg.  Stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Remove mixture from heat and set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter (or olive oil, if using).  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add carrots, zucchini, and peas.  Cook for  about 3 minutes.  The vegetables will not be entirely cooked through.  That’s ok!  Remove from heat and add vegetable mixture to the creamy chicken mixture.  Stir to combine.
Spoon filling into a 9×13-inch pan.  Remove the biscuits from the fridge and place them on top of the filling.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, buttermilk, or egg wash.
Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until biscuits are puffed and golden, and the sides of the pot pie are bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

To God be the Glory

When we were children, my sisters and I would frequently find ourselves playing "wedding" or "house," as many girls do.  We would act out cooking dinner, going to the grocery store, and cleaning house.  At night, we often stayed up late whispering to each other our plans for a dream wedding and the decorations for our dream house.  I watched "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best" and dreamed of the day when I would wear pearls while doing housework or have dinner waiting for my hardworking husband when he came home.  I couldn't wait for the day when all those dreams would come true.  They did come true.  On May 8, 2010, I walked down the aisle of my church in my beautiful white dress and married the man of my dreams.  In eleven days, prince charming and I will celebrate our first anniversary.

It is hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since we said, "I do," but it has.  And it has been the best year ever! I must say though, taking care of a husband and house is a lot harder than June Cleaver makes it out to be!  My poor husband has had to endure more than his share of inedible meals and household disasters.  He's a trooper though :)

Challenging as it may be, I love taking care of my husband and my home.  I am still learning and will probably always be learning.  The goal of this blog is to share with our family and friends what is going on in the Lippincott household.  I hope to include recipes we love as well as tips and tricks I have found that help make our house a home.  My desire in it all is to bring glory to God by doing the best I can with the responsibilities He has given me as a wife and homemaker.