Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

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

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

Do you like to go and pick berries?

You do??

I do too!!

I love to pick berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and of course blackberries.

One of my favorite memories of picking berries was way back when Oldest Daughter was about 2 years old. My older sis Niener Wiener and I, went to my Aunt Pat and Uncle Larry’s house way out in the country to pick wild blackberries. Aunt Pat gave us careful directions of where to park the car and the best place to climb over the barb wire fence. Bet you all did not think I could climb over a barb wire fence. Well, actually you don’t climb over a barb wire fence, not unless you are like 7 feet tall…..if you think about it, you will understand why. To get over the fence, you actually pick a place in the barb wire fence that is kinda loose and stretched out and you put your foot on the one string of barb wire fence, while you hold the other string way above your head and you climb through. It helps to have someone hold the top string so you can concentrate on not getting your bottom caught on a barb. Worse comes to worse. I have even shimmied under a barb wire fence if you can find a good place were the ground sinks down.

Anywho…I was talking about picking berries not climbing fences. I get off track so easily… : )

Niener Wiener and I made it through the barb wire fence and walked across a long field until we spied our beloved wild blackberries. We have already crossed a one lane bridge over a creek, parked the car on a gravel road, climbed a barb wire fence…now we just have to watch out for thorns. Wild blackberries are full of thorns. It helps to wear long sleeves and to take your time. Niener and I picked until we pretty much picked all the branches clean and headed back to Aunt Pat’s with our haul of juicy berries. We were hungry, bleeding and hot. Aunt Pat had bowls of Campbell’s tomato soup waiting for us for lunch. We had picked so long, she about gave up on us stopping for lunch. We had so much fun. I remember making my first batch of blackberry jelly from those berries.

It was a great day.

So many precious memories.

I want more of those days!

So, because I love blackberries, and Company loves blackberries, and it is one berry that Oldest Daughter does not particularly like of because of the seeds….please…..really……I am always looking for new recipes for blackberries. I seen this Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler recipes and I could NOT pass up giving it a try.

Well not just one try….I made it three times to get it just right.

Just for you!

Here is what you need to make this simple cobbler.

You will need about 4 cup of blackberries, sugar, butter, almond flavoring (sorry I forgot to put it in the picture) salt, buttermilk, baking powder, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice.

First thing you do is put the blackberries in a medium size sauce pan.

Pour in your sugar.

Add in your lemon juice.

A small amount of almond flavoring.

A dash of salt.

Time for the cornstarch for thickening.

Some yummy butter.

Last but not least, pour in the water.

Over medium heat, cook the blackberry filling mixture until it bubbles and becomes thick.

Pour the filling into a 9 by 9 baking dish.

Now it is time to make the dumplings. I used my little pulse blender to make my dumplings, but you can you your pastry cutter to add in the butter.

First thing I did was measure out the flour and add it into my little blender. You can do this in a bowl.

I added in the sugar next.

Added in some salt.

Next, I added in my baking soda.

I mixed the dry ingredients together for a couple of pulses to mix the dry ingredients together. You can do this in your bowl with a spoon. Then I started adding in my butter.

I pulsed the cold butter a few times to get the dumpling mixture to look grainy. You can cut in your butter with a pastry blender if you are not using a little blender.

Add in your buttermilk. Only add in enough buttermilk to make a soft dough that you can spoon out.

Dollop your dumplings on top of the blackberry filling.

I sprinkled sanding sugar on top of the dumplings to give them a sweet top and to add a little crunch. Put the cobbler in the oven, preheated to 350 and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the dumplings are cooked through.

Don’t you want to take a bite?

You have to pick some blackberries first.

Or….buy some at the store. : )

Enjoy!

Becky

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Recipe Adapted from Old Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

Blackberry Filling:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 cup water

4 cups blackberries

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter cut into squares

Sanding Sugar optional

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, cook all of the blackberry filling ingredients, on medium heat, until the filling becomes thick. Pour the filling in a 9 by 9 baking dish.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until they are small pea size pieces. Stir in the milk or buttermilk until the mixture comes together. If you feel that dumplings are a little dry, add in some milk a tablespoon at a time.

Spoon the dumpling on top of the filling. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is light brown. (make sure the center dumplings are cooked all the way through).

Serve warm with some ice cream or by itself.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here are a few other blackberries recipes you may want to try.