Chicken Cobbler....comfort for a friend

Whoa this is good. I mean toss-your-diet-out-the-door-for-the-day good.
I've made chicken pot pie before and it's one of Jay's favorite treats. 
Found this lovely twist of a pot pie recipe recently in the Jimtown Store Cookbook.
See those awesome little cheddar dill biscuits on top....the best!

So who was the lucky recipient of this Chicken Cobbler? My dear friend Judith and her family.
She had been under the weather following some surgery and I wanted to bring dinner over to be a help.
It was a hit, with her boys going back for third helpings.
Love that. 

This recipe takes a bit of time to make, but it is one that everybody will love and feel loved eating it. A keeper for sure.
 
Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
Serves 8

adapted slightly from The Jimtown Store Cookbook

Kosher salt
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, washed
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
3 carrots, washed well, sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, washed, sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
1 teaspoon hot sauce or Tabasco
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Cheddar Dill Biscuits {see recipe below}
1/4 cup buttermilk for brushing

Preheat your oven to 450F.

Filling:
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, till tender {about 20-25 minutes}. Drain and cool. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

In a large pot, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add yellow onions and garlic and cook till tender, about 10 minutes.

Add chicken stock, carrots, celery, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cook, partially covered, about 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, raise the heat slightly, and cook for about 10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the remaining soft butter 
{1/2 cup} and flour until you have a smooth paste.

Lower the heat slightly and whisk in the floury paste with the vegetable mixture a little at a time. Stir in the chicken, potatoes, pearl onions, peas, corn, hot sauce, and nutmeg. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
{You can prepare this filling a day ahead, remove from heat, cool, cover and refrigerate. Re-warm before using.}

Place the chicken filling into a buttered rectangular 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish {3 quart capacity}.
Place biscuits atop the filling, spacing them evenly apart. Brush top of biscuits with buttermilk. Place baking dish on top of a half-sheet pan {in case it bubbles over} and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Serve.

Cheddar Dill Biscuits:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/3 cups buttermilk {I like using a local one}
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Place flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk together well.

Toss in cold cubes of butter and rub butter pieces into flour with hands, quickly, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add buttermilk and dill and stir gently until dough just begins to come together. Add the cheese and stir in to combine. 

Lightly flour a work surface and turn dough out onto it. Knead the dough a few times lightly, until it is smooth. Roll the dough into a 3/4-inch disk. Use a 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as possible.
Gather the scraps together and re-roll once. Cut out remaining biscuits. 
Refrigerate biscuits for 30 minutes. {I ran out of time and skipped this step, without a problem}.