Savory Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is one of my favorite comfort foods. This particular recipe provides just enough spices to be very flavorful, but it is still mild enough to be served to someone who is feeling under the weather.

Ingredients for the Chicken Soup

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups water
• 8 reduced salt chicken bouillon cubes

Ingredients for the Dumplings

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup milk

I personally like to use a crockpot for this recipe, but if you don't have a crockpot, or if time is short, you may prepare this in a stockpot.

The instructions are basically the same; the primary difference is the cooking time. Here's how to prepare my personal recipe for Savory Chicken and Dumplings:

Place all of the ingredients for the chicken soup into a large soup pot or crockpot. If you're cooking this in a crockpot, you cook it all day (6-9 hours) on low, or on high for 3-4 hours. If you're cooking this in a stockpot, bring the soup mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer it for about an hour.

Once the chicken and all of the vegetables are cooked through, remove the chicken breasts and cube or shred them and then return them to the pot.

About 20 or 30 minutes before you plan to serve the chicken and dumplings, if you've cooked the soup in a crockpot on low, turn it up to high. The soup needs to be bubbling in order for the dumplings to cook. Then mix up the dumpling dough by doing the following:

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl, and stir, until mixed. Add the shortening, and blend it into the flour using a pastry blender, two table knives, or your hands. You should keep blending until the shortening is mixed in well, and is approximately the size of a pea or smaller.

Once the shortening is blended in, stir in the milk, just until all of the flour is mixed in.

Drop the dumpling dough into the soup using a spoon, until all of the dough is in the pot. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes and then cover the pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes.