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Chicken and dumplings are a great comfort food!  Take a look at my latest recipe from The Basics! 

Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces **

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

½ cup flour

½ cup white wine or dry vermouth

1 quart really good quality chicken stock

¼ chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper

Dumplings:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 to 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions:

**If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken, you can use about 2½ to3 pounds of chicken thighs and breasts and sear them in the pot before following with the directions below. Once you’ve seared the chicken pieces, finish cooking the chicken in the oven on a baking sheet, or poach them in the chicken stock that is called for in the recipe. Once cooked, tear or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

1. Pre-heat a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and carrots until they are tender – about 8 to 10 minutes – stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and dried spices and stir around for another 2 minutes.
2. Add the flour and stir well. The flour will absorb the fat in the pan and might start to brown a little on the bottom but don’t let it burn.
3. Add the white wine or vermouth and stir, scraping up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and reserved chicken pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. While the stew is simmering, make your dumplings. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter in with two knives or by pinching it with your fingers. (You can also use a food processor for this.) Stir in the milk and fresh chives until a wet dough comes together.
5. Add the parsley to the stew and stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Drop the dumplings by the large spoonful onto the surface of the stew. Let the dumplings cook on top of the stew uncovered for about 10 minutes. Then, cover the stew and dumplings and let them cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve it up!

Enjoy!

Meredith