Chicken and Dumplings That Will Bring Back Memories of When You Lived On the Farm (Even If You Have Never Lived On a Farm)

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN:

4 chicken thighs

4 large carrots cut into small chunks

3 medium red potatoes cut into small chunks with skin still on them (I didn’t have any, so I just peeled and used , russet potatoes.)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons butter

3 celery sticks finelychopped

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 1/2  teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2

5 tablespoons flour

INGREDIENTS FOR DUMPLINGS:

1 3/4 cup flower

1/4 cup corn starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2  teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2  teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter melted

Boil 4 chicken thighs in 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup beef broth until cooked.

While the chicken is cooking, cut 4 medium carrots and 3 medium red potatoes into chunks and cook until almost done. Drain, and set aside.

Finely chop 1 medium onion and 3 celery stocks and sauté in 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon minced garlic until onion is soft and translucent.

Add 2 teaspoons parsley, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Stir and cook for another minute.

Remove chicken, once cooked, and let cool. Keep broth in pot.

Now shred chicken and throw away bones and fat.

In the pot with the broth, add the chicken, the onion/celery mixture, and the potato/carrot mixture. Now add 1 cup half and half plus 5 tablespoons flour and cook on medium low heat until thickened.

Next we make the dumplings. In a medium sized bowl, mix 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup corn starch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

In a, separate, small bowl, melt two tablespoons butter, then stir in 1 1/4 cups butter milk.

Now add the butter/buttermilk mixture to the flour mixure.

Stir it together, but do not over-mix.

Form small balls with the dumpling dough, and place it on top of the chicken mixture, like in this photo.

Cover an let cook for 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid. The steam is what is cooking the dumplings. If dumplings are not cooked after 15 minutes, cover and cook another 5 minutes (without removing the lid).

This is what it looks like when it is done. My wife raved about this recipe. That's a good sign, because she was raised on a farm and is very particular about her food. She knows good old farm cookin'.