This is me crazed at the end of the day, but needing to make some good comfort food for the family.
They were all a little grumpy this morning.
Nothing like some comfort food to bring smiles to their faces. I always make my chicken and dumplings from scratch, and it isn't as hard as you may think. Some people are intimidated by it, but once you try it, you'll be hooked. I also have found ways to make it in a jiffy. That means very quickly in southern speak. :)
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First Things First: Ingredients and Recipe
For the Dumplings:
2 cups flour
2/3 cups of shortening
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
I always double the recipe, so this is doubled already for you
For the "Soup":
1.5 lbs of chicken- I usually use a couple breasts
Chicken Bouillon
Garlic Cloves- 2-3 or to taste
Butter
Cumin
Basil
Milk
Sour cream
Salt and Pepper
1 lb. Celery
1 lb. Carrots
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Take a garlic press or chop the garlic cloves and simmer then in butter. Cut up and start cooking your chicken breasts. I cook these as I prep the dumpling dough and cut up the celery and carrots. When the chicken breasts have cooked a couple minutes on both sides, I start pulling them out and chopping them. I pour the buttered garlic on top of the cubed chicken while they finish cooking.
garlic frying in butter
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| Chicken Breasts | Cubed Chicken |
Now the chicken can wait until it is time to throw into the post. You can do this toward the end after the dumplings have finished boiling so that the chicken doesn't over cook with boiling.
In your stockpot, fill with water about halfway and add chicken bouillon, basil, cumin, and any other spice that you like for your soup base. I added about 4 Tablespoons of the bouillon initially. I always taste at the end in case I need to add more.
On to the dumplings! Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl: flour, salt, baking powder and mix. Then add the shortening and use a pastry blended to blend the shortening until the shortening makes little chunky pieces throughout the flour.
In a separate bowl, combine milk and eggs. Pour in the center of the flour and mix together. I start with my pastry blender and then use my hand to combine until it is all incorporated and I have a nice dough.
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Your pot of broth is boiling by now. You are gonna pinch off pieces of dough and plop them into your pot. They cook in the boiling broth. You can have bigger or smaller pieces or a mix. It depends on what your family likes. Mine are mostly the size of a quarter when I throw them in the pot. As the pot fills, look for where the broth is boiling on the edge of the pot and drop the dough there- because there is space and it won't splash the boiling broth back on you so much.
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The dumplings will cook all on their own and are done when they float. Let them boil for a few minutes.
Next, finish up prepping your vegetables. Chicken and Dumplings doesn't necessarily have veggies, but I like to add them to get extra veggies to the kids. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the celery. I like to steam these in my microwave steamer because cooking them in the pot takes forever!!!! This is also why I cook my chicken ahead of time, so that the whole soup gets done so much FASTER.
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After the veggies are steamed, add them to the pot. It is now also time to add the chicken.
Everything is cooked and ready. At this time, I add a big dollop of sour cream and more chicken bouillon if needed.
It is ready to be served. We usually throw some shredded cheese on top as well. From start to finish will probably take an hour or less. Enjoy!
