Pantry Chicken Dumplings For Two Recipes

PANTRY CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS FOR TWO

Steps:

• 1. Make dumpling dough by cutting shortening into the flour until it almost looks like coarse sand (I use a handled biscuit cutter, but you can use a pastry blender or the two knives technique.)
• 2. Add and stir in enough of the milk to bring it all together and it forms a stiff dough (like for biscuits.) Do not overwork the dough.
• 3. In a dutch oven or stockpot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add bouillon cubes to broth.
• 4. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough into the boiling broth. When all of the dumplings are in the pot, reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Do not stir!
• 5. After first 10 minutes simmering, sprinkle a pinch of parsley flakes over dumplings. Place tight fitting lid on top of the pot and simmer without stirring for an additional 10 minutes.
• 6. Remove from heat. Very gently, stir in drained cooked chicken.
• 7. Serve hot. (I like to serve it in bowls with a bit more parsley sprinkled on top.)
• 8. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Gently reheat in microwave.

THE BEST CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan., Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until blended. Gradually add stock, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear., For dumplings, in a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside., Remove chicken from stockpot; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Cook, covered, on high until mixture reaches a simmer., Drop dumplings on top of simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Gently stir in cream, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS FOR TWO (COOK'S COUNTRY)

Steps:

• Note: Make the dumplings just before adding them to the stew.
• For the stew: Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until nearly dry, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and bring to boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes.
• For the dumplings: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Stir in broth and melted butter until just incorporated.
• Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium. Using 2 spoons, drop eight 1-inch dumplings into stew about 1 inch apart. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle peas around dumplings, cover, and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Serve.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS FOR TWO

Steps:

• Heat a saucepan, spray with cooking spray, add the chicken and cook it for 4 minutes, browning well on all sides. Remove and keep warm.
• Add the next six ingredients (celery through bay leaf) to the pan and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pan, cook 1 minute, then add the broth , bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• A few minutes before the 30 minutes are up, stir together the flour, baking powder, parsley and salt. Add the milk, stirring just until everything is moist.
• Spoon the dough by heaping teaspoonfulls into the saucepan. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes, or until the dumplings are done.
• Discard the parsley sprigs and serve.