Description
A comforting and hearty Chicken and Dumplings recipe perfect for Christmas Eve, featuring tender chicken simmered in a flavorful broth with vegetables and soft, fluffy dumplings made from cake flour and sour cream.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs. bone-in skinless chicken breast or thighs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (e.g., Franks hot sauce)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¾ cup frozen peas
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dumplings
- 2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ cup cold sour cream
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Prepare and brown the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken breast or thighs with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on all sides until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same pot, melt butter. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, around 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add seasonings and thicken: Stir in Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to cook the flour and prevent lumps.
- Add liquids and chicken: Slowly whisk in chicken broth and add the bouillon cube if using. Add the browned chicken back into the pot along with all the dried seasonings and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Shred chicken: Remove chicken from the pot and shred using two forks. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add half and half and peas: Stir in half and half and frozen peas. Keep the broth warm on low heat while preparing dumplings.
- Make the dumpling dough: In a bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar. Add cold sour cream, cold milk, and melted butter. Mix until just combined; do not overmix.
- Cook the dumplings: Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough onto the simmering chicken mixture. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
- Serve: Gently stir the stew and dumplings before serving hot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- Use bone-in skinless chicken for best flavor and tenderness.
- Do not lift the lid while dumplings are cooking to ensure they steam properly.
- You can substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour if cake flour is unavailable.
- For a thicker stew, you can whisk an additional tablespoon of flour with cold water and stir in towards the end of cooking.
Keywords: chicken and dumplings, comfort food, Christmas Eve recipe, hearty soup, homemade dumplings