Chicken and Dumplings

I confess, I have never had chicken and dumplings before. It seems as if C hadn't either. I have had dumplings with stew before, which I have to say I like better, but these were quicker and easier than stew. This meal will go into the winter rotation for sure. I sort of took a mish mash of recipes from the internet and compiled this one. I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I added one tablespoon of white vinegar in whole milk and let rest for five minutes. Works great in a pinch!






Chicken and Dumplings

3 large chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

In a large, heavy pot, melt butter and heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for at least 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Bring the sauce to a boil, add the chicken pieces and reduce the heat back to medium.

Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk together; pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together, the batter should be thick.

Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

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