Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

When you make this chicken and dumplings recipe you find out very quickly the secret to culinary happiness that great cooks know. They know that it's not a waste of kitchen skills to make a tasty dish from another era. They know that you can take care of your soul in a world that tells your body to keep going at full speed, just by turning a few simple ingredients into a nourishing meal.

Chicken and Dumplings

Filling Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut up (3-4 pounds)
8 cups water
3 medium carrots (diced)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
parsley
poultry seasoning

Cream of Chicken Soup Ingredients: **(see note below)

3/4 cups additional chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour

Dumpling Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup milk (whole milk)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a large pot with celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with 8 cups of water.

2. Simmer for one hour, until tender. Remove the chicken and cool enough to remove the meat from the bone.

3. Return chicken meat to pot and broth.

4. Make the cream of chicken soup by boiling in a medium-sized saucepan: the 3/4 cups additional chicken broth, 1/2 of the milk, and the seasonings for about 2 minutes.

5. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

6. Add the cream of chicken soup to the chicken meat and broth in the large pot and simmer gently.

7. To make the dumplings mix flour, baking powder and salt. Work in the butter with fingertips. Gradually add the milk.

8. Roll into golf ball sized balls, then flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.

9. Drop carefully into the hot broth and simmer the chicken and dumplings 10 minutes longer, making sure to ladle broth over the dumplings to submerge them as they cook.

**Note: You many substitute one can of cream of chicken soup in place of the homemade version. If you decide to do this, skip steps #4 and #5. We recommend trying it at least one time with the homemade version.

Click for more Chicken recipes