I don't know about you but I have so many wonderful memories down at my Grandma Brown's enjoying her wonderful Chicken & Dumplings. Anyone who knows her knows that she is not only one of the best cooks but is also one of the most loving and accepting people alive. She is also magnificently humble and meek (and not in that weak, passive kind of way). She and the rest of my family and friends are the people who have helped shape me into the young woman I have become (I am under 30 that makes me a young woman right?). Although they have shaped me I am not in any way like most of them. I do see their Christ like traits and strive to be more like that usually my attempts fall short but I will keep trying until the day I die. I think it is really important to surround yourself with people who exhibit qualities you desire in your own life. I hope you strive to do that. Oops guess I got off on a tangent back to the food. So anyway I was thinking about my Grandmas Chicken & Dumplings and my mouth was literally drooling at the thought so I decided I must make it. Only one problem my Grandma doesn't know what a recipe is. Well maybe she does but I would bet you money she has never followed one to the tee! Knowing I wouldn't be able to get the recipe out of her over the phone I decided to do the next best thing, look up a recipe until I can make it to Grandmas to learn hands on how she does it. I quickly discovered there are two styles of Chicken & Dumplings (I had no idea!). It seems Chicken & Dumplings is a North vs South issue and quite heated when it comes to the cooks who prepare it. The Southerners mock the Northern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sacrilege to even serve. The Northerners not to be out done mock the Southern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sad excuse for chicken noodle soup. Oh yes its a heated issue indeed. With all of that said I want you to know I am used to Grandmas Southern style YUM! But I found a Northern style recipe I couldn't resist attempting. I promised myself to not compare the two and instead look at them as two separate dishes altogether. That was smart on my part. It definitely wasn't Grandmas but it definitely was amazing! Here is the link to the original recipe which I of course tweaked.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or butter alternative
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I did 2 lbs and it was to much-you could also buy a precooked rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric (this stains everything it touches so be careful!)
4 cups normal chicken broth 2 cups low sodium (I use imagine brand and their low sodium version is REALLY low sodium. That's why I did the combination. I encourage you to read the ingredients on your broth it should be all things you recognize and can identify. Sugar is in most broths and bouillons so watch out!)
1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
1/2 cup to 1 cup instant potatoes (I used 365 brand from whole foods because it is literally just dehydrated potatoes)
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk
The how to:
Remove any fat or icky stuff from your chicken the season it with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a large pot over med/high heat combine butter and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) allow butter to melt and then add chicken cooking both sides until browned and remove. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through because it will go back in the pot to cook. If you picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken then just skip to the next step.
After removing the chicken add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir and cook for 3-4 min over med/low heat. Stir in thyme and turmeric then pour in the chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine then add the browned chicken (again skip ahead if you have a rotisserie chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 min over medium heat.
While that is all cooking make the dough for the dumpling. Stir together all of the dry ingredients and then add the almond milk and stir gently to combine and then set aside.
After the 20 min has passed remove your chicken and check to ensure it is cooked all the way through. If so shred it using 2 forks and return it to the pot. If you have a rotisserie chicken you probably should shred it during that 20 min and then add it to the pot. Add the instant potato flakes and stir until combined. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. No need to shape them just drop them in. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy
I found this absolutely delightful even though it was so different from what I grew up with. I really hope you will try it. It is a time consuming process but easy. Most of the time is just doing whatever around the house while it does its thing on the stove top. I did encounter some problems that caused this to take much longer for me. I had bought chicken that same day from walmart and when I opened it up it smelled bad. I had to pack it all back up and return it to walmart and get replacement chicken. Then my chicken didn't cook as quick as it should have then my dumplings didn't cook as quickly as they should have. I have adjusted for all of that in this recipe so it should go smoother for you. I finally enjoyed all my hard work at 9pm. It was well worth the wait.
Have I told you guys about my dog? Her name is Daphne and she is the best dog in the whole world! She is also unbelievably cute, loveable and snuggly. She is a dachshund but I promise she doesn't bark all the time, honestly she hardly ever barks. She isn't territorial or nippy and has only met 2 strangers (and both of them were bad people so props to her for being so smart)! Well anyway I wanted to show you guys how cute she is because I love her so much and I tortured her with the wonderful smells of chicken for hours as this cooked. Thankfully for her I used such good ingredients I didn't feel bad sharing some of the chicken with her.
Isn't she the cutest sweetest thing ever! I LOVE HER! I also love you! I went to the climbing gym and climbed today fyi. I am not as good at posting about my workouts as I am about food.
Food.Exercise.Life
