Mommas Best Chicken and Dumplings

There’s a lot of love in those dumplings! This is comfort food at its best and so worth the time and effort. I love the ohhs, awws, and OMGs, smiles, and sighs of total satisfaction that come with this bowl of heaven.

Step: 1

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning; cook and stir until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Push vegetable mixture to the sides and add chicken; cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Step: 2

Pour enough water over the chicken to cover by 3 inches; bring to a boil. Stir, scraping the browned bits off of the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat; simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Transfer chicken and carrots to a serving plate with a large slotted spoon; let cool.

Step: 3

Ladle 1/4 cup cooking liquid into a bowl; cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons flour. Stir back into the pot.

Step: 4

Place 2 cups flour in a large bowl; cut in shortening with 2 knives until mixture forms pea-sized bits. Mix in chilled chicken broth until dough is combined.

Step: 5

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead 5 to 6 times; pat down to 1-inch thickness. Sprinkle lightly with flour; roll out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into squares with a sharp knife.

Step: 6

Drop squares, in batches, into simmering cooking liquid, moving squares to the side with each addition. Partially cover pot; simmer until dumplings are firm, about 12 minutes. Separate any dumplings that stick together. Remove from heat; keep covered.

Step: 7

Bone chicken; cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot. Chop carrot; return to the pot. Cool chicken and dumplings, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Per Serving: 405 calories; protein 27.9g; carbohydrates 28.4g; fat 19.3g; cholesterol 83mg; sodium 718.1mg.

Prepare your meal in advance can be extremely enjoyable when you do it with your likely music in the yard , a relaxing beverage of choice or even a partner. It is helpful to write every step you fell right to create the food , which may include everything from your tools and utensils to your processing menu . Make sure to list the ingredients in the process of it , so as not to leave it . A handwritten list is typically best.

Bought the right cooking tools is just as important as having the right ingredients . This includes all of from pots, pans, bowls and utensils to those essential items that are sometimes to forget, such as parchment paper and foil. Items like crunch bottles for adding the perfect drizzle or sprinkle items to your main food and long tweezers to arrange smaller and thinner foods are a likely for any home chef.