Thirty years ago I learned that not all chicken and dumplings were alike. Growing up in my sheltered world I only knew of the lovely egg dumplings that my Mom made. To this day I still love them! (One day I will share that recipe too.)
When I moved to a different part of the world in my late teens I was served chicken and dumplings for a holiday dinner. I stared at this odd looking dish that was put in front of me. The dumplings were flat and square! They weren't bad.
It wasn't until many years later when my husband made me HIS chicken and dumplings that I realized how good what I consider Southern Chicken and Dumplings could be. If I attempt to make his I wouldn't even try to say mine were as good as what he makes. I also couldn't share the recipe because he has none.
Then there is the next chicken and dumpling recipe. I was at some restaurant somewhere and had this wonderful fluffy herb sprinkled dumplings and my mouth went "OMG These are awesome!!"
More years passed without me ever attempting those fluffy little dumplings. These are so easy that I really wish I hadn't waited so many years to try them.
If you have a large family it will probably be enough to fill you all up at dinnertime if you add some fresh rolls with it. On the other hand, if there are only a couple of you this recipe will work also. Just freeze half of the broth and cut the dumpling recipe in half. Now you have a half prepared meal ready for later use. Or do like I do and make a double batch of broth and freeze half of it. We have a small family but there is always someone willing to come over and have home cooking.
Let's get to it....
Oops, nope, not quite yet. When selecting your chicken for the base keep in mind that good broth is made with fat that comes from dark meat and skin. OOOOOoooohhh I know, the bad stuff. Come on...this IS chicken and dumplings. I prefer to eat white meat but it does little to add flavor. I usually use a whole chicken for the best flavor.
Now we'll get to it, after I tell you I did a terrible job of getting pictures today. Too many things going on. That's my story.
Okay, just one last thing. This will be a pot of dumplings with all the other goodies mixed in and very little broth. Unlike other dumpling recipes I make these dumplings DO NOT get stirred.
Chicken and Fluffy Herbed Dumplings
Base:
1 small fryer chicken - cut into pieces or 6-8 pieces of chicken of your choice
1 - 32 ounce box chicken broth or 2 - 14 ounce cans
2 stalks celery chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium carrots sliced 1/4" thick
water
Fluffy Dumplings:
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tablespoons oil
PRINT RECIPE
Put chicken in a large pot and add broth. Add the remaining ingredients. Add enough water to cover chicken by 2 inches.
Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove pieces of chicken and let cool long enough to handle. Once cooled remove meat from bones and add the meat back into the broth.
Return to boil while making dumplings.
To make the dumplings, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and oil at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. NO pictures??? Ooops...
Drop tablespoons of the dumplings on top of the boiling broth. Try to keep the size uniform. Once you have dropped all the dumplings bring the liquid back to a slow boil. Do not stir.
Cover tightly, immediately reduce heat to low. Do not remove cover. Simmer 15-20 minutes.
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| What it will look like when you take the lid off. |
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| Gently lift the good stuff from the bottom to mix in with the dumplings. |
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| Look at those light fluffy dumplings. YUM! |
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