Chicken and Dumplings

This is Maggie saying, "Happy  New Year Everyone!" Maggie is practicing her knife skills prepping all the veggies for chicken and dumplings! Chicken and dumplings is such a great winter treat. My family looks forward to it, my husband adores it, and it's really not that hard to make!

You will need diced carrots, celery, onion, and red pepper. (Mushrooms are not pictured.)

Diced chicken. This is where the chicken tenders from Costco come in really handy. They defrost quickly and are easy to cut up. We used scissors here. Maggie got to practice "dealing with meat."

The chicken is coated with flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

Don't worry if your hands look like this mid coat. It's completely normal and should totally be expected.....

The chicken is cooked up in melted butter. You could use olive oil here too or a combination. Butter brings flavor and after all it's chicken and dumplings! After the chicken is cooked it is removed and set aside on a plate. You then add some olive oil and saute all your veggies and add your liquids....I didn't photograph that part, sorry.

While things are cooking in the pot you whip up your dumpling mix. this is what it looks like before it's add to the pot.

These are the dumplings steaming on top of all the chicken and veggies in the pot. Doesn't it look absolutely delicious? I heart chicken and dumplings....such a homey comforting meal, makes you go "hmmm."

The finished bowl of goodness. See the little dumpling there? It gets all soaked with the broth, kind of like adding crackers to your soup....Yum! Make it for your family this week. You'll be glad you did!

Chicken and Dumplings

Inspired by: The big book of casseroles

1/2 cup flour

3/4 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

10 - 12 chicken tenders, diced

1 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 cup onion diced, (1 medium onion)

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 carrots  diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. thyme

Parslied Buttermilk Dumplings, recipe at the end

On a sheet of parchment paper, combine flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, and pepper. Toss diced chicken in mixture to coat and reserve the excess flour. (about 1/4 cup)

In a large dutch oven melt butter over medium high heat. Brown chicken in batches, cooking pieces quickly. Remove to plate. Add oil to dutch oven and then the vegetables. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining flour, about 1/4 cup. Add stock, bring to a boil, and whisk until smooth. Add bay leaf, thyme, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Return chicken to dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for about 1 hour. In the meantime make the dumplings.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. dried parsley

1 cup buttermilk

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley. With a fork, stir in buttermilk until dough is just blended. With a large spoon scoop out dumplings. (You will get about 12)

Remove lid on dutch oven, take bay leaf out of soup,  and drop the dumplings on top. Allow them to cook until toothpick comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Click here for the printable.

Enjoy!

Ginger