Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

It seems like every time I go out to eat and I am craving some good old fashion comfort food, I order Chicken and Dumplings.

I think it is the cream, soup like broth (and you all know how much I love soup) and the tender dumplings AND if it is loaded with tender white chicken meat, it screams out comfort food.

Over the course of a couple of years, I have played around making chicken and dumplings and I could not quite get my dumplings quite right. They would either break apart in the broth or get so big in the broth, there would not be any broth left, leaving me a big clump and dumplings. UGH.

Well, I think I finally settled on a recipe. I found it at Mom, The Princess’s house, in one of her Country Living magazines she had laying around. I adapted it slightly and totally fell in love with it.

Since I was using frozen chicken breast, I used my  electric pressure cooker to cook the chicken to save time. Not to worry if you do not have one. Just bake your chicken. No worries.

I mixed the dumplings up in a little blender, but you could use a bowl and a pastry cutter to cut in you shortening.

It is amazing how easy and delicious this recipe is.

So, if you are craving some good ol’ fashion comfort food, give this recipe a try.

Here is what you need.

You will need some chicken breast, chicken broth, salt and pepper, garlic powder, butter, shortening, poultry seasoning, basil, self rising flour and milk.

First thing I did was cook my chicken. I used my electric pressure cooker cause I was in a hurry, but you can bake  your chicken in a large casserole dish.

I put my chicken breast into the pressure cooker and poured in 4 cups of chicken broth.

Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt and some basil. You can use thyme if you want instead of basil.

I put the lid on my electric pressure cooker and just hit the chicken button and wanted for the cooker to do the rest. If  you are using your oven and a casserole dish, just cover and bake your chicken at 375 degrees until the chicken is fork tender.

I took the chicken out and let it cool for 30 minutes and then I shredded the chicken.

I saved the chicken broth and skimmed off as much fat as I could. You will use this chicken broth and add enough to total 8 cups.

In a food processor or in a bowl with a pastry cutter, mix together the self rising flour and the poultry seasoning.

Add in the shortening.

Add in your pats of butter. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening and the butter. If using a processor (I am using a small one) pulse until the shortening and butter is cut in and in small pieces.

Stir in the milk and stir until a dough forms. It will be a little bit tacky.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the counter and roll your dumpling dough out to 1/8 inch. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter.

In a large stock pot, bring the 8 cups of chicken broth to a simmer and add in the dumplings. Stir gently, so the dumplings do not stick together.

The dumplings will need to cook about 2o minutes at a slow simmer. The broth will thicken from the flour on the dumplings. Occasionally stir gently to keep the dumplings from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Lastly, stir in the shredded chicken. Simmer until the chicken is heated through.

Look, it is done already. I sprinkled some parsley on top of my dumplings to add a little color.

Can  you see the big chunks of chicken and all those tender dumplings?

There you go!

A whole bowl of comfort…all ready for your fork!

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is the recipe:

Adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients:

1 – 3 1/2 pound whole chicken or 3 large chicken breast (you would like to have a total of 5 cups of shredded cooked chicken.)

8 cups of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Dumplings:

3 cups self rising flour

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/3 cup shortening

2 tablespoon butter

1 cup of milk

garnish with parsley

Directions:

Bring chicken, broth, salt, pepper, basil and garlic powder to a boil. Turn down and simmer for one hour. I did my chicken in my electric pressure cooker.

When done remove chicken and reserve the broth. Let the chicken cool for 30 minutes then skin, remove the bones and shred the chicken. Try to skim as much fat off as  you can from the broth.

To make the dumplings, In a large bowl combine your self rising flour and poultry seasoning. With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening and butter. Stir in the milk to make a dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll dough out to  1/8 inch. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dumplings into 1 inch squares.

In a large stock pot, add the reserved chicken broth. Bring the broth to a simmer, and then add the dumplings. Stir gently to keep dumplings from sticking together. Cover and simmer dumplings for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir often so they do not stick.

When dumplings are done cooking and the sauce has thickened from the flour on the dumplings, add in your shredded chicken. Gently simmer until the chicken is heated through. Garnish with parsley is  you so desire.

Here is a couple of other recipes you might want to give a try:

                         

Blackberry/Blueberry Oat Cake         Chocolate Brownie with Macaroon        Strawberry Cake

 

 

 

St. Patty’s Day Cooking

Are you ready for St. Patrick’s Day?

I just back from the store after purchasing my point cut corn beef, a onion, red potatoes and some cabbage. I knew I would be running around after church tomorrow and most likely would not have time for a trip to the grocery store. First thing on Monday morning, I will put my corn beef in the crock pot so it will be all cooked and tender for dinner that night.

If you have never made a corn beef, do not be intimidated! I did not make my first one until a few years ago. Just follow the direction from this post Point Cut Corn Beef. I have the step by step pictures and directions all ready for you to follow.

If you feel like a little Irish Soda Bread, the recipe for one is here. Irish Soda Bread is dense and slightly sweeten. Perfect with a hardy soup.

How about a fun GREEN bread made for a cake mix swirled with cinnamon sugar. You can find the recipe here.

Hope everyone in Missouri and elsewhere is enjoying the nice warm weather. Our snow has melted off and the ground is a little soggy but my bulbs are popping out of the ground reminding me that another season is on its way and it’s name is Spring!.

Have a great weekend!

Becky

P.S. here is another GREEN recipe!

Here is the recipe.

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

My youngest grandgirl loves her bananas.

Bananas are her go to snack during that in between time from getting home from day care and before dinner.

“Nana Please,” and she is not talking about me…she wants a banana.

So, you can pretty much count on that I will have some bananas in the house…somewhere. (youngest grandgirl likes to hide food behind my big chair in the living room.)

There are times though, that we cannot eat all of those needed bananas and I have to do something drastic to use up those bananas…like make banana muffins. (you did not think I would throw them away did you? hehe)

Anywho, I took my favorite and very simple banana bread recipe and topped it with a melt in your mouth streusel topping.

My old kids, my grand kids and myself included, could not stay out of them.

Yum a yum yummy!

If you need a little comfort food and you are looking at some bananas, do something drastic too…make some Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping.

Here is what you need to make them.

I bet you have pretty much all of this in your kitchen right now. Flour, sugar, powdered sugar, oil, butter, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and a couple of eggs.

First thing I do is take a mixer to these bananas to smash them up.

Then I add my eggs. (these came from my backyard beauties)

With a mixer, mix in the eggs with the bananas, then mix in the oil. Add the sugar into the banana mixture…I forgot to get a picture of that…ooops.

In a separate bowl, add in the flour.

Add the baking powder and soda.

Add in the salt.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture.

And now mix all up, without over mixing. (it causes tunnels in your muffins)

Fill the muffins tins up two-thirds with the batter.

Now, lets make the topping!

Cut off 5 tablespoons of butter.

You want to melt it. I just put mine in the microwave to melt.

Add in your flour.

Add in your powdered sugar.

Now cinnamon…yum!

A pinch of salt.

Mix it all together. The great thing about this topping is that  you can put it on any kind of muffin or quick breads to add a little homemade goodness.

Drop small pieces of the topping onto the top of each muffin. I also gently pressed the topping into the batter.

Put the muffins in a preheated 350 degree oven to bake. They take about 20 minutes.

Here is the recipe:

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping

5 tablespoons butter, melted (I have also used margarine)

2/3 cup flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

Directions for the Banana Muffins

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and the bananas.

Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Heat the oven to 35o degrees.

Grease or line a muffin tin with papers and fill each muffin cup 2/3 full of batter.

Now, make the topping.

Directions for the Streusel topping:

In a medium size bowl, stir together the melted butter, flour, powdered sugar, cinnamon and salt. It will be clumpy, but that is ok.

Back to the muffins:

Now that the streusel is ready, sprinkle streusel on the top of each muffin. I pressed the streusel down slightly into the batter so it will bake on and not fall off when you take them out of the oven.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the muffin. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from muffin tin.

Makes about 15 muffins.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here are some other recipes you might enjoy.

                   

Velvetta Cheese Soup                    Easter Bird Nest                           Pistachio Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

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