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Mimi's Chicken and Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Comfort Food Shortcuts" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"Both of my grandmothers made chicken and dumplings, as does Mom, but I have to confess that Grandmother Mimi's was my favorite. I have vivid memories of watching her make this winter mainstay whenever we went across town to visit her. It was quite a production. First, she simmered a chicken to make fresh broth and then shredded the meat. To make the dumplings, she piled some flour on her wooden cutting board and made a well in the center. Then she ladled some broth into the well, using her hand to mix the dough. With her big rolling pin, she rolled out the dough and cut out the dumplings. Then she gently dropped them into the chicken and broth. Mimi's homemade dumplings were the best, but when time is short, I found a surefire stand-in. I call them whomp 'em biscuits because you peel the paper off a tube of refrigerated biscuits and then whomp 'em against the counter to open the package. The biscuits are floured, rolled flat, and cut into squares, then added to the broth. This is a comfort food favorite."

List of Ingredients

Broth:
â—¦ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 large onion, diced small
â—¦ 3 carrots, diced small
â—¦ 4 celery stalks, diced small
â—¦ 1 (2 ½- to 3-pound) whole or cut-up chicken
â—¦ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ 2 bay leaves
â—¦ 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
â—¦ Salt
â—¦ Black pepper to taste

Dumplings:
â—¦ One 16.3-ounce tube (8 biscuits) Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers
â—¦ ¾ cup all-purpose flour


Recipe

To make the broth, heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken broth. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is tender, 1 ½ hours. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the broth to a bowl and allow to cool. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and cut or tear it into strips. Discard the skin and bones. Add the chicken meat and broth to the stockpot and bring back to a simmer while making the dumplings. Season with a pinch of salt and some pepper.

To make the dumplings, generously flour both sides of the biscuits. On a floured work surface, roll out each of the biscuits to a thickness of â…› to ¼ inch. Cut each biscuit into 1 ½-inch strips. Gently lower the strips into the simmering broth. The biscuits will pop up to the surface and then fall back down into the broth. Stir gently, allowing the dumplings to separate. Allow the dumplings to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until soft. Ladle the chicken, dumplings, and broth into soup bowls and serve.

Makes 6 servings



Make It Your Own:
• For thicker gravy, whisk together ¼ cup broth with ¼ cup flour until smooth and then stir it back into the pot.
• Add ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, chives, or rosemary, to the batter.
• Add chopped scallions to the batter.