Submitted by: Shannon Cole of countrygirlinthevillage.com
The ingredients of this comforting dish are fresh and flavorful, but the real reward is spending time with my family preparing it.
Ingredients:
1 cooked chicken (shredded - you can use rotisserie chicken if you wish)
5 carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 small onion (diced)
1/4 C. celery (chopped)
4 C. chicken broth
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Olive oil (to sauté your veggies)
3 Tbsp half & half (for finishing the broth)
1 Tbsp butter (to finish the broth)
1 C. all-purpose flour (for dumplings)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp white corn meal
1/2 C. whole milk
Directions:
Sauté veggies in a hot soup pot/Dutch oven. To the softened veggies, add in your chicken broth and seasoning. Bring to a simmer. Add your cooked chicken. I like to dice mine, but shredded works just as well. Let simmer uncovered on your stove top for half an hour. In a separate bowl, mix your flour, baking powder, corn meal, sugar and salt. Then, slowly pour in your milk. You want your dough to be sticky, almost biscuit-like. Using a teaspoon, spoon the dough into the broth. The dough will plump up and float as it cooks. Stir occasionally to keep the dough from sticking together. Once I am ready to serve my chicken and dumplings, I stir in the half and half, and the butter. This is a great way to finish the broth. Be sure to taste frequently and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.