Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler

I love a good chicken pot pie but I have never made it before because I'm too lazy to make the dough. So when I saw Mark Bittman's article last week on NYTimes, I knew that I would make his Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler this weekend. I added garlic, shallots, ham and more carrots to his recipe in order to stretch the dish even more. It turned out really well and it's definitely easier than making it the traditional way.


Ingredients:
2 leeks, well washed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
salt and ground black pepper
2 cups of quartered crimini mushroom
1.5 cups of chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 carrots, sliced into coins
2 boneless chicken thighs, diced
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400F.
  
• In a large skillet, stir fry the leek, garlic and shallot with oil over medium heat.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add mushrooms and cook until liquid has released and evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add stock and rosemary; bring to a boil, and let bubble for a minute or two.
  
• Add carrots, ham and chicken and reduce heat so the liquid simmers and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until carrots are almost tender and chicken is cooked through.
• Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally for another minute or so.
• Take out rosemary stem and discard.
• Whisk cornstarch with a few tablespoons of broth to make a slurry, add slurry to pot and stir until liquid thickens slightly.
  
• Transfer everything to an ovenproof dish and set aside.
• Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor.
  
• Add butter and process until mixture resembles small peas, no more than 30 seconds.
• Add in buttermilk and egg and mix quickly until it just comes together; it should be sticky.
• Drop spoonfuls of batter on top of vegetables and chicken and smooth with a knife, covering as much surface area as possible but leaving a few gaps for steam to escape.
  
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until golden on top and bubbly underneath.
• Scoop into bowls and serve immediately.