I don’t know what the weather's like where you live, but it’s
fuh-reeeeezing in Northwest Arkansas. As a matter of fact, I’m writing this
blog post in the early morning hours from the Wal-Mart automotive department
because my car just refused to start this morning. It might be my battery, but
I think my car just said “It’s cold and I'm not waking up today.” That’s how
I felt this morning anyway!
Yesterday we had our very first flurries that started to fall as soon as we got home from church. I had all five of my loves at home. Sam, my boys, and Grace - who lunches with us on Sundays when she's home from the University of Arkansas (which is just down the street, but still.)
We immediately put on our comfies. There was a fire in the fireplace and a pumpkin pie on the counter. And I had
chicken and dumplins on the stove. I was in my Heaven. I must've been glowing because Sam said “This is your favorite kind of day ever, isn’t it?”
He knows me.
What was even more perfect about our Sunday was that I
was able to make a rich, comforting pot of simple chicken and dumplins in about 45
minutes! Now I believe in cooking from scratch when you have the time, but
Sunday after church doesn’t allow for much prep time! So in addition to my Old Fashioned Homemade Chicken and Dumplins recipe HERE, I have developed this quicker,
easier, semi-homemade chicken and dumplins that my family loves! I bet yours
will love it too!
SIMPLE CHICKEN AND
DUMPLINS
Makes 6 big bowls or 8 cup-sized bowls
3 - 32oz cartons of
chicken stock (not broth)
1 cup fresh,
pre-sliced carrots from the produce section (or sliced frozen)
1 cup chopped celery, optional
3 small 7.5oz cans
refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, 10 per can
1 large family-sized
deli rotisserie chicken, meat pulled and shredded
a heaping ½ cup flour
1 tablespoon dried
rosemary
Salt and pepper to
taste
In a large,
heavy-bottomed pot (I use my 5.5 quart Le Creuset enameled cast iron round
French oven), bring chicken stock to a boil. And remember, Julia Child says to
always use a bigger pot than what you think you’ll need! This is truth, y’all –
especially with this recipe! While the stock is coming to a boil, chop the
celery and set aside; also, use a rolling pin to quickly roll out each small
biscuit into a flat round, and cut into thirds one direction, then in thirds
the other direction to make 9 small little flat dough pieces. Don't spend a lot of time on this. Just roll, cut, cut, cut... Put the dough
pieces into a medium sized bowl, sprinkle with the heaping ½ cup flour, and toss to coat,
separating the pieces to be sure they’re coated.
As soon as the stock
comes to a boil, add sliced carrots and celery. Boil for 5 minutes. Carefully
add the floured dough pieces, and dump the remaining flour into the stock,
stirring swiftly to break up any clumps. You can make a slurry instead and be fancy,
but this is the easy version, remember? The dumplins will puff up and float on
the top of the pot at first, then they’ll become denser and heavier as they
cook, and they’ll sink to the bottom. Be sure to stir every few minutes. Stir
the dumplins well and put the lid on leaving a little room for the steam to
escape. Over medium heat, simmer for 20 minutes,
stirring often with a wood spoon and scraping loose anything that sticks to the
bottom of the pot. In the meantime, pull the chicken meat and shred. Add the
chicken to the dumplins, salt and pepper to taste, and add dried rosemary. Stir
well, and allow to simmer another 10-15 minutes or so. The liquid should have
thickened and the chicken should have become more tender and delicious from
spending time in the stock. Taste for salt and pepper before serving. Ladle into
your favorite bowls or wide-mouthed mugs!
The following items for this recipe are available in the Euna Mae's retail store!
(1503 Carley Road, Springdale, Arkansas)
Solid Maple Cutting Board
Maple, Cherry, or Walnut Rolling Pin
Le Creuset French Oven
Mixing Bowls of All Kinds
Serving Bowls
Wooden Spoons
Burleigh English Pottery Cup and Saucer (pictured)
