Chicken and Biscuits

Rose’s Famous Chicken Pie

Clearly, I need to order a supply of chickens and soon! Recently, a copy of The Rocky Ridge Review dropped into my mailbox.  This year is the 100^th anniversary of the completion of the farmhouse at what is now the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, MO. During a visit taken nearly 20 years ago I purchased The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook. (My favorite souvenirs to purchase are something practical and this cookbook is pretty, has beautiful pictures of the farm house, and some great recipes.) I have never forgotten being in the home of my favorite childhood author. The trip was so enjoyable that I reread each of The Little House books which Laura wrote in the home, the books written by her daughter Rose, plus a couple of biographies of Laura and Rose.

There are a couple of recipes in particular which I use from this book. The Golden Pork Chops is my go-to recipe for when I cook a pork chop. Each summer I think about Rose’s Strawberry Pie which puts other pies to shame. The hands down favorite is one which takes two days to prepare (and worth every moment) it is Rose’s Famous Chicken Pie.  Moist chicken covered with gravy speaks to my Midwestern heart. It may sound simple, but the time-intensive recipe yields a fabulous taste sensation. To make this pie you just need to brown the chicken pieces, cook the pieces for a couple of hours, remove the chicken from the bones, make the gravy, bake in oven, and serve over biscuits. See how simple it is? Just time consuming, but well worth it.

Since the cook has spent so much time preparing this meal, the side items are vegetables with minimal preparation and biscuits. You must have biscuits to go with this dish and not just any biscuit.  I choose what my friend Jo and I refer to as Fat, Fat, and Flour biscuits which are made from butter, cream cheese, and self-rising flour. They are the absolute best biscuits I know. Believe me, you don’t want the best chicken pie to have a subpar biscuit.

Since I now have a strong craving for Rose’s Chicken Pie, I just need the chicken. Enter Heritage Foods USA which is working to revive heritage chicken breeds which risk extinction if a consumer market is not established to save the breeds. Originally, I ordered only beef from them, but plan to order chicken from them now and in the future.  Just waiting to get a list of items to order from a friend, then the order will be compiled and my heritage breed chickens will be on their way to my kitchen. I can taste the pie now.