Chicken and Dumplings

Picture from: makebetterfood
Image Credit: Kevin

Chicken and Dumplings

“Chicken and dumplings is a delicious, comforting meal. It combines the best of chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie into a thick, rich dish that's low in fat and high in protein. The easiest approach to this dish is to tackle it in three stages. While the chicken is poaching in the first stage, you can dice vegetables and prepare the dumpling dough to knock off 15 minutes from the total time.” Kevin

Chicken:

5 cups chicken stock

Heat chicken stock over medium-high heat, in a medium Dutch oven or large sauce pan.

Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and reserve.

2 pounds boneless chicken breast

2 teaspoon salt

Remove an excess fat from chicken and sprinkle lightly with salt.

2 tablespoons butter

Heat butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Once foaming subsides, add chicken 

and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes each side.

Remove chicken from pot and transfer to cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice into 

2 inch sized cubes and place in pot with simmering chicken broth. Raise heat to medium-high 

and poach chicken until completely cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. If you want, while the 

chicken is poaching you can slice vegetables and prepare the dumpling dough to further 

reduce the overall prep time.

When done poaching, remove chicken from pot with tongs or slotted spoon, but leave stock in 

the pot and over low heat to simmer.

Set chicken on a wire rack to cool. When cool enough to handle, shred into small pieces and 

place in a medium bowl.

Vegetables:

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 medium carrots, sliced

1 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon thyme

Heat now empty stock pot with reserved butter and chicken fat over medium-heat. Cook celery, 

onion, carrots, and thyme until soft, about 5 minutes. (The juices released from the onion will 

deglaze the pot.)

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

Add flour and stir until it has absorbed the fat in the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-

low and stir constantly for 2 minutes to prevent burning.

¼ cup dry sherry

Slowly add sherry, stirring to combine.

Reserved, simmering chicken stock

Reversed chicken

Using a soup ladle, slowly transfer chicken stock from medium pot into the large stock pot with 

vegetables. Stir to combine well. Add shredded chicken breast and bring to a simmer.

Dumplings:

9 ounces cake flour (about 2 cups)

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

¾ cup milk

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Add milk, minced parsley, and melted butter. Combine with a dough whisk or wooden spoon 

until it just comes together.

Using a spoon, drop dumpling dough into stock pot in teaspoon sized drops. Each dumpling 

will double or triple in size as it cooks.

Cover pot and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Note that the 

dumplings should be steamed in the simmering liquid, not boiled. Therefore, it is important to 

use low or medium-low heat and you must keep the pot tightly covered for the steam to cook 

the dumplings. Do not open the lid to peak while the dumplings are cooking.

After 20 minutes, remove lid and poke one of the dumplings with a toothpick to test if it is fully 

cooked. If not, cover and cook for 5 to 10 additional minutes.

¾ cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Add peas, parsley, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir and let cook for a few more 

minutes to thaw peas.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Read more and enjoy this amazing recipe and many more when visiting makebetterfood

Serves 6 to 8

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