Bless Her Heart

What do marriage, chicken pot pie, and chicken and dumplings all three have in common?

Once you’ve made a decision, you should simply commit to it and not question yourself.

Chicken and dumplings is traditional homestyle cooking in its most comforting level –  a delicious soup with juicy pieces of chicken, fresh vegetables and little clouds of dumpling dough found in each and every spoonful.

What could better take a Southern woman to weekly visits at my grandma’s house than this?

Much like most Southern comfort foods, chicken and dumplings is best when made the old-fashioned way – low and slow.

You don’t want to rush through making this.

Enjoy the time spent in the kitchen.

Enjoy the memories that the dish brings about.

Enjoy the simplicity of being Southern.

Enjoy curling up in a blanket with your favorite book or movie on a slow, chilly weekend…knowing that one of your favorite meals of all time is cooking up for dinner.

Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is your best friend when it comes to make chicken and dumplings for two reasons.

First of all, the best chicken and dumplings is made with a combination of white and dark meat…(assuming that you don’t already have seven pounds of leftover cooked chicken just laying in your fridge begging to be used)…

Also, the best chicken and dumplings is made with bone-in chicken, not boneless chicken. Bones add a ton of flavor and ensure that the chicken stays ultra-moist and juicy.

The Base: The flavorful base for my Chicken and Dumplings is made with a combination of store-bought chicken broth, heavy cream and white wine.

Chicken broth adds a savory flavor. Heavy cream or milk balances this out, adding a rich flavor. A crisp white wine with nice acidity – pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc –adds depth to the soup.

If you do not want to use wine, substitute the same amount of apple cider.

Vegetables: This recipes calls for a “Traditional Trinity” of carrots, celery and onions in addition to a little garlic. Note that if we were using a Cajum trinity, we would be using bell peppers instead of the celery. So why not play it safe, and add all four?!

You could also add any other vegetables that you would like: corn, green beans, mushrooms, peas or whatever,

Spices: Spices are also a matter of personal preference. I added what I listed above because I added the spices above because this just so happens to be the spice mixture that I’ve in almost all stews and soups that I’ve made over the last few years.

Sugar: Sugar balances the soup’s savory flavors and counters the acidity of the wine.

• 2 rotisserie chickens, about 7 pounds total
• 6C chicken stock
• ½C white wine or apple cider
• ½C heavy whipping cream
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2tsp Italian seasoning
• ½tsp salt
• ½tsp pepper
• 2tsp sugar

—Brown the chicken: If you are not using a rotisserie chicken (bless your heart), then you will first need to brown your chicken,

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Combine ½C flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken to the flour, one piece at a time. Toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour.

Add the chicken to the hot skillet. Brown the chicken in batches on all sides. Remove from pan.

Save the chicken drippings to saute the vegetables.

—Saute the vegetables: If you didn’t brown the chicken yourself, first melt 2Tbsp butter in the Dutch oven.

Add the bell pepper, carrots, celery and onion to the same Dutch oven.

Cook for about eight minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic. Cook for one minute longer.

—Make a roux: Add ¼C flour. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly to ensure there are no lumps in the soup.

—Simmer: Stir in the broth, wine, sugar, bay leaves and spices. Return the chicken to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. The chicken is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

—Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven. Let cool slightly. Discard the bay leaves. Skim the fat from the soup. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Discard them. Use two forks to coarsely shred the meat into 1½” pieces. Return the chicken to the soup. Cook, covered, on high until the soup reaches a simmer.

—Prepare the dumpling dough:  There are basically three types of dumplings that you can use to make this. umplings can be made in several ways:

• Biscuit Style: These dumplings can be made with either homemade or store-bought biscuit dough. The dough steams as it floats on the surface of the soup.Biscuit dumplings are firmer than the old-fashioned drop dumplings your grandmother…or at least my grandmother…used to make.
• Drop Style: These dumplings can be made with homemade dough containing a leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. Dough is dropped onto the surface of the hot soup. The leavening agent within the dough causes it to puff up like bite-size pillows.
• Rolled: These dumplings can be made with homemade dough containing lard or shortening. Once the dough is rolled out and cut into strips, they simmer in the soup. These dumplings are almost like spaghetti.

—Steam the dumplings: Regardless which type of dumpling you are using, slowly drop spoonfuls of dough on the top of the simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid while the dumplings steam. This will make your dumplings dense.

To test if the dumplings are done, stick a toothpick into them after they’ve simmered for about 15 minutes. If the skewer comes out clean, the dumplings are done. If it comes out wet or sticky, replace the lid and let the dumplings cook a bit longer.

Keep an eye on them. Overcooked dumplings will fall apart and disintegrate into the broth.

—Finish with cream and herbs:  Gently stir in the cream. Sprinkle with parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

To make ahead of time: Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken. Shred it. Return it to the soup. Cover. Refrigerate for up to two days.

To finish, bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Prepare the dumplings. Finish according to directions above.

To store: Store chicken and dumplings soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will last up to three days.

To freeze: Transfer leftovers to a freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bags. Make sure to leave at least an inch of space at the top, as the liquid will expand during the freezing process. Squeeze out the excess air. Freeze for up to three months.

To reheat: Warm leftover chicken and dumplings in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through. If the dumplings have absorbed too much of the broth, add 1 cup of chicken broth to the soup before reheating.