Chicken Stew And Dumplings

 

Chicken Stew with Traditional Dumplings

......with Bread and Parsley Dumplings

 ......with Southern Style Dumplings

Chicken Stew And Dumplings
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4 to 6 Chicken Breasts
(Or a whole chicken with extra pieces)
5 to 6 whole small cooking onions
2 or 3 stalks of celery
2 or 3 potatoes - halved or quartered (Do not use potatoes in stew if making Southern Style dumplings. I make mashed potatoes to serve with Southern style dumplings)
1 clove of garlic
fresh thyme or dried
1 bay leaf
chicken broth
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Regular/Traditional Dumplings
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1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening (butter/margarine or crisco)
3/4 to 1 cup of milk

Mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening. Add enough milk to make a soft wet dough. Drop by tablespoon on to the top of stew and cover and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.

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Southern Style Dumplings
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2 cups flour
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of baking powder
milk

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Knead for a minute until smooth and let sit for 1/2 hour. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Dough should be on the thin side. Cut into 1/2 inch strips, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long.

Drop into boiling stew and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until noodles are cooked.

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Parsley Bread Dumplings
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1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 slices white bread, quartered
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine parsley and bread in processor; whirl until medium size crumbs. Add 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; process just until combined. Add 1/2 cup milk and butter; process using on-off pulses just until blended. Drop mounded tablespoons of dumpling mixture into stew.

Add chicken to a pot and cover with chicken broth or combination of water and broth.

Add 1 garlic clove, a few sprigs of thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 15 minutes and add whole peeled onions, celery cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and simmer until onions are tender. Remove Chicken from pot and separate meat from bones. Add chicken back to pot. If using potatoes add now.

Now add what ever dumpling recipe you are using and simmer until dumplings are cooked.

If you like your stew thicker, mix some flour and milk or cream in a jar and pour into hot stew.