Mama’s Chicken And Dumplings

my little dumpling helper 🙂

Daddy always loves coming in to a warm house smelling Mama’s good cooking!  This afternoon when daddy was chopping wood, it started to snow.  Mama had already fed the starter for the dumplings the night before and we were ready to settle in for a cozy, winter night.  

Mama makes a golden, rich broth that feeds health to our bodies and makes for very happy crowds!  We like to eat savory flavors in our soups and the colder months is a great excuse to do just that!  We hope you enjoy our Mama’s recipe as much as we do.

Click here to watch the video version. Written recipe is below. 🙂

Ingredients for soup:

2 lbs. cooked, shredded chicken

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 potatoes, diced

1 large onion, diced

3/4 tsp. ground sage

3/4 tsp. ground thyme

3/4 tsp. ground rosemary

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. frozen peas

Ingredients for dumplings:

Prepare dumplings the night before 

Making sure your starter is active (click here for that recipe) 

In separate bowl add: 

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 c. white whole wheat or spelt flour

1/2 c. starter and stir together until incorporated

Cover with towel and set aside for 24 hrs.

Boil chicken in stock pot until chicken is cooked through.  Save broth.  Shred chicken, set aside. (Most often, I do this step the day before. It makes the next day go much smoother.) 

Add diced carrots, celery, potatoes, and onion to broth in a Dutch oven.  Boil vegetables in broth until tender, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your dumplings by adding ingredients listed below to your dough from the night before: 

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt 

1/4 tsp. each sage, thyme, rosemary

Stir until incorporated. Set aside.

When vegetables are tender, stir in seasonings, frozen peas, and shredded chicken.  Bring to a simmer.

Drop dough, one large scoop at a time, over the simmering stew, making about 12 dumplings.  Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cover and cook undisturbed until dumplings are cooked through (about 12-15 minutes). 

It does seem like you are in the kitchen quite a bit preparing this savory dish, but I assure you, it is well worth the investment made.  Many blessings friends!

Natalie