Chicken and Dumplings (Dairy Free)
There are a lot of things I have grown to like (maybe even love) about living in Georgia. For a chronically cold person, the fact that it's 80 degrees in December, is a welcome treat. But I will say it does feel weird pulling out the Dutch oven to make soups when I'm in shorts and flip flops.
But after the latest change on months, I decided it was fitting to make some Chicken and Dumplings. I'm not one to cut up a can of pre-made biscuits and call that dumplings, but if that's what you enjoy, so be it. When I came across this recipe by Martha Stewart a while back, I knew I had to give it a shot. It was easy enough to covert to dairy-free, which I LOVED, and I have yet to screw up this recipe, besides some slightly over salted dumplings once (there's a difference between coarse and fine salt). But no one at the table could tell except for me, and this has been a consistent crowd favorite. I've taken this to new mommies for comfort food, friends recovering from surgery, gotten picky young eaters to give it a shot, and my husband never leaves enough for leftovers. In my world, that's enough to be considered a hit.
Beyond that, the cost of a stalk of celery, two carrots, half a bag of frozen veggies, and some baked chicken is not a huge dent in your wallet. Lately, I've been using some dried herbs from Litehouse that rehydrate into fresh herbs for cooking. The entire bottle costs about the same as a pack of fresh herbs out of season, but it goes farther, lasts longer, and are pre-chopped. I found these in my regular grocery store sitting right below the fresh herbs in the produce department.
The ability to have "dormant" fresh herbs waiting in your pantry is great! If your recipe doesn't call for dried herbs or if you are adding directly to a stew or soup, then there is no need to re-hydrate. But if you are adding to a dough, meat, or something else and your recipe calls for fresh, I recommend adding a bit of water to the measured amount of the herbs, stirring, then adding to your recipe. For instance, the recipe below calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley to be added to the dumpling dough. Even though the dough will be dropped onto the soup mixture, because the parsley is added to the dough mixture first, it needs to be hydrated for the full effect. I measure the 2 tablespoons into a small prep bowl, and add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the parsley is damp. You don't want to add excess water to your meal, so add your water slowly and just enough to dampen your herbs.
Full disclosure, this recipe is involved. This is not a dump and forget it for four hours in your crockpot meal. You will be stirring and simmering and adding ingredients and stirring some more, every couple of minutes. Don't let that intimidate you! The meal is easy to pull off and recipe is easy to follow. Like I said before. I have yet to screw it up! If you are flustered easily in the kitchen, I suggest doing all your prep work (chopping and slicing) before you start. It is a lot easier to stand by the pot and dump things in while you stir then trying to chop and stir at the same time! It is also handy to have an easy to use timer, whether it is your microwave, phone, Alexa, etc. Just remember if you use your phone for your recipe as well, you will have to flip back and forth a lot.
Martha will tell you this takes her about 45 minutes and that it's a one pot dish. We all know she is a pro at chopping veggies and using her kitchen efficiently . For me, with prep work included (but not including cooking the chicken), this takes me about an hour and quite a few dishes (cutting boards, prep bowls, knives, measuring cups and spoons, etc.), but after your first bite, you will realize how worth it this is! You can swap the dairy free butter for regular and the almond milk for whole milk. The amounts will be the same. You can also add any frozen veggies you feel like. I typically use whatever is in our freezer, but Martha's recipe calls for green beans (yuck!). I also like to add more spices than just salt and pepper, but go with what you like. I add Italian seasoning to EVERYTHING, but if that's not your thing, stick with salt and pepper. Let me know what you try and how this turns out for you!
Martha will tell you this takes her about 45 minutes and that it's a one pot dish. We all know she is a pro at chopping veggies and using her kitchen efficiently . For me, with prep work included (but not including cooking the chicken), this takes me about an hour and quite a few dishes (cutting boards, prep bowls, knives, measuring cups and spoons, etc.), but after your first bite, you will realize how worth it this is! You can swap the dairy free butter for regular and the almond milk for whole milk. The amounts will be the same. You can also add any frozen veggies you feel like. I typically use whatever is in our freezer, but Martha's recipe calls for green beans (yuck!). I also like to add more spices than just salt and pepper, but go with what you like. I add Italian seasoning to EVERYTHING, but if that's not your thing, stick with salt and pepper. Let me know what you try and how this turns out for you!
Chicken and Dumplings (Dairy Free)
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons of dairy free butter (3 to start, 2 later in dumplings)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups of flour divided (1/4 in with veggies, 1 cup for dumplings)
3 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of cooked chicken (shred or cube according to your preference. I like 1/4" cubes best)
1 cup of frozen veggies
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt (I use kosher salt. If you only have regular table salt, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 unsweetened almond milk (or your dairy milk alternative of choice. Avoid anything with vanilla or added sweetness)
Directions:
1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter is a Dutch oven or large sauce pan( over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add chopped onions, sliced celery, sliced carrots and stir until onions are translucent which will be around 4 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the veggies and cook while stirring for 1 minute.
4. Slowly add the chicken broth about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring each portion in until it is incorporated before adding more. (this part is really important for a great sauce. The more time I take with this, the better it turns out. It will go from glue to gravy to sauce to soup.)
5. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. You want a good simmer for 5 minutes. (I like to make the dumpling dough while it simmers)
6. Add cooked chicken and frozen veggies. Taste sauce carefully and season.
Dumplings:
1. Whisk 1 cup of flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley together.
2. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter.
3. Stir in milk.
4. Drop large spoonfuls of dough on top of veggie/chicken mixture. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.
5. Turn dumplings over and cook until cooked through.
3 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of cooked chicken (shred or cube according to your preference. I like 1/4" cubes best)
1 cup of frozen veggies
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt (I use kosher salt. If you only have regular table salt, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 unsweetened almond milk (or your dairy milk alternative of choice. Avoid anything with vanilla or added sweetness)
Directions:
1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter is a Dutch oven or large sauce pan( over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add chopped onions, sliced celery, sliced carrots and stir until onions are translucent which will be around 4 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the veggies and cook while stirring for 1 minute.
4. Slowly add the chicken broth about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring each portion in until it is incorporated before adding more. (this part is really important for a great sauce. The more time I take with this, the better it turns out. It will go from glue to gravy to sauce to soup.)
5. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. You want a good simmer for 5 minutes. (I like to make the dumpling dough while it simmers)
6. Add cooked chicken and frozen veggies. Taste sauce carefully and season.
Dumplings:
1. Whisk 1 cup of flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley together.
2. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter.
3. Stir in milk.
4. Drop large spoonfuls of dough on top of veggie/chicken mixture. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.
5. Turn dumplings over and cook until cooked through.
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