Active Time

　　40 min

　　Total Time

　　45 min

　　Homey and old-fashioned, this comforting dish can be on the table in a flash, thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken and biscuits made with self-rising flour.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

　　

For biscuits

2 cups self-rising all-purpose flour

　　3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

　　1 cup whole milk

　　All-purpose flour for dusting

　　

For chicken in gravy

1 medium onion, finely chopped

　　1 carrot, finely chopped

　　1 celery rib, finely chopped

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 teaspoon black pepper

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)

　　1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

　　1/2 cup half-and-half

　　3 cups chopped cooked chicken (from a 3- to 3 1/2-lb rotisserie chicken)

　　1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

　　

Make biscuits:

Step 1

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 2

Blend together flour and butter in a bowl with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Stir in milk with a fork just until a sticky dough forms.

　　

Step 3

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead 7 or 8 times. (Do not overwork, or biscuits will be tough.) Pat dough into a 9- by 6-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface, then cut into 6 (3-inch) squares. Arrange squares 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool to warm on baking sheet on a rack.

　　

Make chicken in gravy while biscuits bake:

Step 4

Cook onion, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth and thyme and bring to a boil, stirring, then boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Add half-and-half and chicken to gravy and gently simmer until chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

　　

To serve:

Step 6

Halve biscuits horizontally and put each bottom half in a shallow bowl. Spoon chicken in gravy over biscuit bottoms and cover with biscuit tops.