Saturday, September 24, 2011

Chicken & Dumplings. Weekend comfort food.

Ahh. Hear that? Silence. Or almost.

Actually, there’s Wii Pet Sports “music” droning repeatedly in the background, a barking begging dancing dog hoping I’ll drop anything semi edible, the sizzling of potatoes and bacon and the rolling boil of a tea kettle. Other than that it’s a pretty peaceful Saturday.

Which is the kind of day that’s nice for taking two hours for boiling chicken on a stove. It doesn’t take much work, but the waiting time is long. Prep work is minimal if you can purchase a cut up chicken. If not, the instructional video below from the sadly defunct Gourmet Magazine is fantastic if you need a little help.

So please don’t let cutting up a chicken stop you from making this comforting classic.



Chicken & Dumplings
If you prefer a thicker broth, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir it into the soup before adding the shredded chicken. Print Recipe

1 large broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
3 celery ribs, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onions, diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
Water

Dumplings
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk or chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Stir the celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, parsley, chicken bouillon granules, salt and pepper in a large pot or Dutch oven; top with chicken skin side up. Add enough water to cover chicken.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until chicken is done.
Remove chicken and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Remove skin from chicken and tear meat away from bones. Shred chicken into bite size pieces. (Add cornstarch here if using.) Return meat to soup; discard skin and bones. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Return soup to a simmer.

In a mixing bowl, combine dumpling ingredients and mix well to form a stiff dough. Drop by tablespoonfuls into simmering soup.

Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings.

Adapted from Steph's Country Kitchen Goodness and Food.com. Picture by Laura Flowers.


6 comments:

Dianna said...

Wow, this looks fabulous! I hope I'll have the time to make it this week.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

You know, I've never made chicken and dumplings - didn't grow up eating it, but I really should give it a try sometimes.

It's been a busy weekend here... I have a pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove, I just finished a batch of apple sauce, I'm in the process of weighing out the ingredients for a cake, the ganache frosting is cooling, and eggplant parmesan is on the menu for dinner - I just love cooking on the weekends when everyone is home.

Take care,
Patricia

Jennifer said...

I love chicken and dumplings...I just posted a similar recipe a couple of days ago. Such a great food for the weekend, especially this time of year!

I'm hosting a link party and I would love it if you would drop by Jane Deere and link up to Fusion Fridays with your favorite or most recent recipes, handmade crafts, diy projects, tips & tricks, and how to's! { open through Wednesday! }

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Joanne said...

Comfort saturdays...that has a nice ring to it. I would love to smell this baking away in the oven.

notyet100 said...

This looks perfect for weekend

Unknown said...

I could use some right now. That looks great.

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