This chicken cobbler recipe is unlike anything you’ve had before. A creamy filling made with chicken, peas, and carrots is topped with a cheesy biscuit layer and then baked until bubbly. The end result: good ol’ pure comfort food.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of cozy chicken dinners. Give me a big plate of crock pot chicken and rice or chicken stuffing casserole any day of the week! Especially during the colder months of the year, there’s just nothing like digging into a hearty meal featuring tender chicken breasts or thighs.
Which brings me to this recipe. I know what you’re thinking: chicken cobbler? Isn’t cobbler a dessert? Traditionally, yes, but no longer. Today, we’re making a savory cobbler featuring a creamy chicken filling topped with homemade biscuits. It’s easy, satisfying, and so, so delicious.
Why You’ll Love Chicken Cobbler
- Cozy comfort. There’s nothing like creamy chicken, veggies, and biscuits to warm you up from the inside out. This recipe is basically next-level comfort food.
- Satisfying. This savory cobbler has it all. Between the hearty chicken, veggies, and biscuit layer, it’s a complete meal in and of itself.
- Easy. My chicken cobbler recipe is made entirely from scratch using basic, easy-to-find ingredients. There are no complicated techniques either. If you can mix ingredients, you can make this.
What Makes This Recipe Different?
This chicken cobbler was inspired by the viral TikTok recipe from Your Barefoot Neighbor. He has tons of flavorful, easy recipes. But, I decided to make a 100% from scratch version of his chicken cobbler in case the Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Mix he uses isn’t readily available where you live.
- Homemade biscuit mix. I swapped the Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Mix out for a homemade biscuit mix. You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make it.
- Creamy topping from scratch. The TikTok version of this recipe tops the biscuit layer with a combination of cream of chicken soup and chicken stock. I dropped the cream of chicken and made my own version using butter, flour, milk, chicken stock, and sour cream.
Sure my version needs a couple more steps. But trust me, it’s worth it.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this chicken cobbler recipe. I’ve included notes for substitutions below, but you’ll find a printable list of ingredients in the recipe card further down the page.
Roasted chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – Boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders would also work. Just note you will need to adjust the roasting time.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- Olive oil – Avocado oil would also work.
- Sour cream – Go full-fat for a satisfying, creamy filling.
- Mayonnaise – Use a full-fat, real mayonnaise for the best results.
Biscuit layer
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.
- Seasoning – Garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt.
- Dairy – Butter (very cold), milk, buttermilk, and shredded cheddar cheese (or another cheese of your choosing). If you don’t have buttermilk, grab my recipe here for how to make buttermilk at home.
Creamy topping
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best here. It gives you more control over the final flavor of the dish.
- Flour – Use all purpose flour.
- Milk – I used whole milk but 2% would also work.
- Chicken broth – I like using low-sodium chicken stock so that I have more control over the flavor of the cobbler. Vegetable broth or bone broth would also work.
- Sour cream – I suggest using full-fat sour cream for the most satisfying, velvety results.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper – To flavor and season the cream mixture.
For the casserole
- Salted butter – I used unsalted butter in the rest of the recipe but you want to use salted butter here. It gets melted on the bottom of the baking dish and serves as a flavorful base for the rest of the casserole.
- Frozen peas and carrots – Fresh, cooked peas and diced carrots will also work. If you’d like to include vegetables other than peas and carrots, you can do that too. Just make sure they are cooked first. It’s best not to exceed ~4 cups of veggies total, unless you want your casserole dish to overflow.
How to Make Chicken Cobbler
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Season & roast the chicken. Season the chicken and roast in the oven until the thickest part of the largest piece reads 165°F with an Instant Thermometer.
- Adjust oven temp. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°F.
- Shred chicken & make it creamy. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes and then shred it. Mix together the chicken, sour cream, and mayo. Set aside.
- Make the biscuit topping. Whisk together the dry ingredients together. Grate the butter into the mixture. Add the milk and buttermilk just until combined. Fold in the cheddar cheese.
- Make the topping. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in the milk followed by the chicken stock. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prep your baking dish. Place ½ cup butter in a 9X13-inch casserole dish and pop it in the oven. Once the butter has melted, remove the casserole dish from the oven.
- Assemble the casserole. Spread the chicken in an even layer over the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread the frozen veggies over the chicken. Spread the biscuit layer over the veggies. Spread the creamy topping over the biscuit layer. Do not at any point mix the layers together.
- Bake. Bake the chicken cobbler uncovered for 1 hour or until the topping is nice and golden brown.
Helpful Tips
- Let the chicken rest. Before shredding the chicken, it is important to let it rest for a few minutes at room temperature. This gives the juices a chance to redistribute throughout the meat, making every bite succulent and flavorful.
- Cold butter. The butter you use for the biscuit topping should be as cold as possible when you grate it into the dry ingredients.
- Don’t overwork the dough. When adding the dairy to the biscuit dough, mix just until everything is combined. Overworking the dough can create two issues: (a) cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, ending you with tough, dense results and (b) melt the cold butter, which you want to avoid if you want a flaky topping.
- Don’t mix the layers together. It might be tempting to mix the creamy topping into the biscuit batter as you spread it over the top. Don’t. You want the biscuits to bake through and the creamy topping to bubble up into golden brown perfection. Neither will happen if you mix the two layers together.
Variation Ideas
- Use rotisserie chicken. Short on time? Grab a rotisserie chicken from the store, remove the meat and shred it. You can use the meat from one rotisserie chicken in place of roasting chicken for this recipe.
- Include more (or different) veggies. I love the classic peas and carrots in this chicken cobbler recipe, but you can add other veggies to the mix (or replace the peas and carrots altogether). Corn would be yummy. So would sauteed zucchini, cooked mushrooms, and/or roasted broccoli florets.
- Try a different cheese. Cheddar is great here but shredded parmesan would work as well.
- Play with the seasonings. I kept things simple with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. But feel free to add some dried or fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, and/or parsley would be my top picks) or a little spice. A kick of cayenne or smoked paprika could be a fun addition to the biscuit topping.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store. Once the casserole has cooled completely, cover the baking dish with a double layer of plastic wrap or arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the cobbler to thaw in the fridge (if frozen) before removing the plastic wrap or arranging slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the leftovers are heated through. You can also microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until warm.
More Cozy Chicken Dinners
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Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
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Season the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken with the salt, pepper, and olive oil until it is well coated.
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Roast. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the largest piece reads 165°F. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
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Rest and shred. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes and then shred it.
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Make it creamy. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chicken, sour cream, and mayo. Set the chicken mixture aside.
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Make the biscuit topping. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Grate the butter into the flour mixture. Mix in the milk and buttermilk just until combined. Fold in the cheddar cheese.
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Make the creamy topping. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in the milk followed by the chicken stock. Cook, whisking consistently, until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Taste the contents of the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Melt the butter. Place ½ cup butter in a 9X13-inch casserole dish and pop it in the oven. Once the butter has melted, remove the casserole dish from the oven.
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Assemble the casserole. Spread the chicken in an even layer over the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread the frozen veggies over the chicken. Spread the biscuit layer over the veggies. Spread the creamy topping over the biscuit layer. Do not at any point mix the layers together.
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Bake. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until the topping is nice and golden brown.
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Serve. Remove the chicken cobbler from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Calories: 727kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 226mg | Sodium: 1547mg | Potassium: 790mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5397IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
