Chicken and Dumplings for the (Lazy) Soul

Oh man. So much rain.

It’s been raining again. This is fantastic for the Sierra snowpack (and, by extension, California’s water supply). This is fantastic for our yard, too; we planted some lavender, artemesia, and bush sage today, and we can be pretty sure we won’t have to worry about them going into shock with as wet as it is out there. It’s fantastic for our camellias, too – they’re blooming like crazy!

The other thing that weather like this is good for is setting the right mood for comfort foods like chicken and dumplings. I’ve been craving it for weeks now, and finally got around to making it tonight. I really didn’t want to have a big mess to clean up, though, and wasn’t feeling up to a big to-do, so I made the abbreviated version. I made enough for the two of us to have a pretty hefty portion each (for a total of 12 weight watchers points each, or a reasonable person who wasn’t desperately craving dumplings could probably have split it up three ways for 8 points each). I got two dishes dirty in the process. I thought you might like to have the recipe.

Btw, this recipe makes big, fluffy, biscuity dumplings. If you want to make those noodle-like dumplings, I suggest you check yourself in for help at the nearest sanitarium. And yes, there are other ways to make this that will make it even more delicious, but not with less effort. This is the minimum required for tasty goodness. If you are a vegetarian, you can still enjoy this. Just sub veg stock for the chicken stock, and mushrooms for the chicken. It will still be delicious, I promise!

First, cut up an onion, some carrots, and some celery. Yes, those are baby carrots. I didn’t feel like a trip to the store for non-diminutives. This is the LAZY recipe.

Then, melt some butter in a dutch oven.

Cook the mirepoix (fancy term for those veggies you cut up) in the butter on medium heat. Just sweat the veggies; don’t put any color on them.

Add some chicken stock. I use the stuff in a box. I added one box.

Get some seasonings together. I used a bay leaf, some thyme, and a couple of slices of lemon this time. It’s just as good (though different) without the lemon and thyme, but I had it on hand, so there you go.

Tie those seasonings up in a piece of cheesecloth and throw it in the soup.

This recipe is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken. If you have leftover roast chicken or something like that, shred it up, throw it in the pot, and skip to the Bisquick step. If not, do like I did and just toss some raw stuff in. I used a chicken breast because I had one in the fridge. This is great made in a big pot and using a whole chicken (cut into parts, of course), but it would take us a week to eat that much. Or it would take me one really, really points-heavy day.

Turn the heat up to medium and simmer the whole mess until the chicken is cooked through. If you have some other veggies you’d like to add, you can add them at some point during this process. I threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen peas. When the chicken is cooked through (like in this picture), stick a couple of forks in there and shred it up.

Put some Bisquick in a bowl. I keep it around specifically for making this dish. Unfortunately, I discovered I was out of it, and had to make a run to the store, making this recipe much less lazy than I would have preferred. Anyway, put some in a bowl. How much depends on how much you like dumplings. I put a lot in (probably about a cup, which I think is just about right for two people).

Add enough milk to make a dough that’s a little wetter than biscuit dough. If you’re making the recipe with lemon, I’d really recommend adding a little extra salt to the dough, as well as some parsley and chives, if you have them. I was too lazy this time, but trust me – it’s really good.

Drop little spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering soup. Cook for about ten minutes with the lid off.

Then, cook for about ten minutes with the lid on.

When you pull that lid back off, you’ll have a creamy stew chock-full of tasty, fluffy dumplings.

Throw a handful of chopped parsley in (use the flat-leaf, for heaven’s sake; there’s just no good reason to buy that other stuff).

Eat the dumplings out of the pot with a spoon. Quickly, before your husband catches you!

If you get caught, pretend you were just tasting to make sure the salt is right. Then put some in a bowl and take a picture so you can keep up the ruse. Enjoy!

How lazy was that? So lazy I didn’t even bother with good lighting, which, btw, did not in any way affect the deliciousness.