Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is one of the meals that my mom made when my brothers and I were little that continues to be one of my favorites.  When my own son was much younger and quite a picky eater, I got him to taste dumplings by asking him if he wanted to know what a cloud tasted like.  He tried them, liked them, and has been eating dumplings ever since.

To make this tasty dish,  I put a whole clean chicken in a deep pot.  You can also use chicken pieces if you prefer.  I then add water to barely cover the meat.  Next I throw in a palmful of dried parsley flakes and sprinkle celery flakes in, too.  (You could also add chopped onion, carrots, and any other vegetable you have on hand and like to use to make a broth.  We've just always kept it simple to keep particular eaters happy.)  I then plop in two chicken bouillon cubes and pepper to taste.  Bring this to a boil.  Boil the chicken gently for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the chicken is fork tender.

After the meat is cooked, take it out of the pot to cool before deboning it.  Some of the liquid will have probably cooked off.  In that event, you'll need to add more water or some chicken broth to cook the dumplings in. Your pot should be 1/3 to 1/2 full.  I always taste a spoonful of broth at this point to see if I need to add more seasonings.  The dumplings will only taste as good as the broth.

To make the dumplings, add two ingredients together:  2 cups of Bisquick and 2/3 cup of milk.  (This is the perfect amount for our small family of three, but I have doubled and tripled it for larger crowds!)  This will make a sticky dough.  Drop it by spoonfuls in the broth that has been brought to a boil.  Lower the heat and cook 10 minutes uncovered.  Then, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

You can then add the chicken to the dumplings or serve them separately as we usually do. 

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these tasty and fluffy chicken and dumplings!  Let me know if you have any questions.