Foodie fridays: chicken and dumplings
Embark on a culinary journey with our comforting Chicken and Dumplings. Indulge in a hearty dish that combines succulent chicken and fluffy dumplings, creating a soul-warming experience for any occasion.
Comfort food.
Comfort food is personal. Some people prefer a large casserole dish of macaroni and cheese. Some people prefer a big bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup drizzled on top. And some people prefer a large, juicy cheeseburger with salty french fries on the side.
Many of our comfort food likings come from childhood memories. Our favorite comfort foods revolve around our mother’s recipes for foods cooked in big pots. She made beef chili, chicken noodle soup, and chicken and dumplings when our brothers and we were growing up.
We have a family tradition for fixing chicken and dumplings. Back in the olden days, having chicken for dinner was considered a treat reserved for special occasions. People didn’t eat it almost every night like we do today. For instance, if a priest or preacher would come to dinner on a Sunday night you can bet your sweet tookus you would be eating chicken. As a kid, we heard the story about how our great-grandmother would send our grandfather out to the back yard to catch and kill a chicken. We'll spare you the details, but let’s just say, that’s what we consider eating local.
Anyway, after our great-grandmother parboiled the chicken, our grandfather would have to help pluck the feathers. He said this was the worse than the actual killing of the chicken because of the smell. Yikes! Once he got through the plucking process, it was pretty simple going from there. All she had to do was cut up the chicken, throw it in a huge pot, add some veggies, make the dumplings, and viola! Chicken and dumplings.
Okay, we'll be honest, we're not killing a chicken today and cutting it up. Gross-town. For our modern version of the classic dish, we're sticking with the prepackaged separated chicken thighs because they have tons of flavor and the dumplings lay nicely on top. Our mother used cream of chicken soup as the base for the dish, but we thought we would lighten things up by adding chicken stock. We also felt carrots and peas needed to make an appearance because in a way, this dish resembles a chicken pot pie.
Once you have the base and veggies going, the dumplings are simple peasy. Next, mix flour, baking powder, milk, salt, and herbs de provence mix together. The dumpling batter should be thick like a pancake batter. Plop a good spoonful on top of each piece of chicken, cover with the lid, and in about ten minutes you’ll have yourself a one pot wonder.
It’s comfort food that is part convenience and part scratch. Now will someone pass us a fork, please?
Conclude your culinary adventure with our Chicken and Dumplings—a timeless classic that envelopes you in warmth and flavor. From the first bite to the last, savor the comforting embrace of this satisfying dish.
