What’s the definition of great comfort food? Chicken And Dumplings With Vegetables. It’s so comforting you’ll get warm fuzzies inside!

I didn’t make my dumplings or this dish; I took some help from my local grocery store. I mean, making your own from scratch is probably best and can make all the difference in the world, except when you’re trying to save time. Store-bought dumplings are a quick alternative and a great time saver.

One ingredient that’s a staple in my fridge is chicken fat. Steve loves to grill chicken thighs and doesn’t use the skin; he gives those to me. I render the chicken skin down and collect all the drippings (chicken fat) for recipes like Matzo ball soup and this dish. The fat adds a lot of flavor by enhancing the chicken flavor throughout certain recipes. I’ll show you how I incorporate it.

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 1 (6-quart) saucepot with a tight-fitting glass lid, 1 (6-quart) stockpot, chef’s knife, cutting board, and meat-safe cutting board

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chicken fat (schmaltz)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached and shredded
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary (crush up in your hand)
1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of ground poultry seasoning
1 (10.5-ounce) can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 package of Mary B’s Open Kettle Dumplings (12 ounces, break strips in half, freeze unused dumplings)
1 package frozen peas, optional
6 cups of chicken stock, unsalted
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions for the Poaching Chicken:
To start, place 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a single layer in a large pot. Add 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, kosher salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. Cover the chicken with either water or (I’m using) unsalted chicken stock. If one quart of stock does not cover the chicken, add enough water to cover them by at least 1 inch.

Bring the chicken to a boil on medium-high heat. You’ll see some white scummy foam collecting on the surface as the liquid starts to boil.  Since I’m not using the poaching liquid for this recipe, there is no need to skim this off; it’s fine to leave it.

As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let the chicken simmer. The chicken will typically finish cooking around 25-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat and whether it has a bone. The chicken breasts are done when they are opaque in color, and an instant-read thermometer put into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, transfer to a cutting board, and begin shredding using two forks. Transfer to a bowl.

Instructions for the Frozen Dumplings:
Gently separate the dumplings right before adding them to the broth.

Instructions for the Chicken and Dumplings:
In a small dice, dice the onions, carrots, and celery. Finely mince the garlic. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and chicken fat over medium heat. Add all the vegetables, poultry seasoning, bay leaves, and rosemary. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add cream of chicken soup to the pot and stir. Next, add the chicken broth (making sure to add enough broth to where it comes up to over the halfway mark in the soup pot), and give another good stir. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait until it returns to a boil. Once boiling, drop in the dumplings one by one. Allow them to cook in the soup (45 minutes according to the package), stirring occasionally until they are all tender. Next, carefully fish out the two bay leaves.

Return cooked and shredded chicken to the pot and gently stir through.

There you have it, my Chicken and Dumplings with Vegetables.

Notes:
1) Tip: While the chicken is poaching, prep all the vegetables for this dish.

2) To Thicken Broth:
In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water.
Add to the boiling broth, a little at a time, stirring to reach the desired consistency.

3) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/