Chicken N' Dumplings

It has been cold the last couple of days here in sunny Florida, and when that happens, I take full advantage of it! On cold days I love soups and stews, and this is one of my hubby's favorite comfort foods of all time.

Here is my favorite version of Chicken N' Dumplings...you'd never know it is lighter than the original style recipes. As a rule of thumb, I try to use organic dairy products and root veggies, and King Arthur Whole White Wheat, but all my recipes work just as well if you use what you have on hand.

Here's what you'll Need:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into large or small pieces (your preference)

1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrott

1 Tbsp. fresh lightly chopped Thyme (or 2 tsp dry)

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp. Cornstarch

3 cups Chicken Broth (Wolfgang Puck Organic is terrific!)

1 Cup Water
1/2 C White Wine

3 Tbsp. 1/2 n 1/2

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

For Dumplings:

1 cup flour 

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. fresh thyme

3/8 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. real unsalted cold butter

1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Makin' Soup:
In a medium pot, heat enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to lightly coat bottom of pan, over med-high heat.  Add Chicken and onion, season with salt and pepper.   Saute until chicken is lightly browned on all sides, stirring frequently.  Add Celery, Carrot and Thyme, saute 4 minutes, stirring well. While veggies are being sauteed, combine flour, cornstarch and about 1/3 cup Chicken Broth in a small bowl, stir well with a whisk. Add wine to the pot, stir, and simmer 1 minute.  Add the remaining 2 2/3 cups broth plus the water. Whisk in cream and flour mixture. Cover and just barely simmer for 20-25 minutes.

While this is simmering, make a Dumpling dough in a small bowl; mix all the dry stuff. Add the butter, crumbling it in with your fingers until you have clumps of butter all through. Stir in the milk, just until mixed.

After the 25 minute simmer time, drop small blobs of dough into the pot of simmering soup. They can be any size you want, so if you want a lot of little dumplings, make little blobs. :)

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, don't allow to boil, just simmer.  Dunk your dumplings gently, cover and simmer another 5 minutes.

Serve with a rustic bread to soak up the juices ~ like my Rosemary Olive Oil Bread.

Enjoy and stay warm! :)