Chicken and Lighter-Than-Air Drop Dumplings

It's that time of the year when much of the country is wet, cold and dreary. We often look to the comfort foods of our childhood on these chilly days. For me, one special dish during winter that I crave is chicken and dumplings. And, even though I do make a few different versions, I always seem to revert back to the classic recipe that I grew up with when I crave the "real deal."

Made on the stove in a big pot.

Hoards of shredded, tender chicken.

Luxurious, but simple "gravy" made with homemade chicken stock.

And, from-scratch dumplings that almost melt in my mouth.

Those are the components of on-point chicken and dumplings in my book. A labor of love. Childhood comfort food at its finest. The ideal weekend dinner on a brisk winter's day. Served with buttery mashed potatoes ... best comfort food ever.

Serves 4 - 6.

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I am usually one to make every aspect of chicken and dumplings from scratch.  And, I'm not sure that I had ever made them in the slow cooker before testing this recipe.  I, normally, like to start with a fresh, whole chicken.  I use the meat and stock from boiling the chicken for my traditional recipe.  And, I like to make my dumplings from scratch.

 

But, I have had a super-hectic schedule recently. I haven't had a lot of time to go the labor-intensive, from-scratch route, but we were all craving Chicken and Dumplings.  So, I utilized my slow cooker and a couple of ingredients that I try to use only in moderation in my everyday cooking - canned soup and refrigerated biscuits - to make this super simple version.  (I almost titled this post "Cheater's Chicken and Dumplings" because it's just so easy.)

Our family loved it. The slow cooker did all of the work. The result was still that comfort food that we know and love. I will say that chicken and dumplings is not a dish that photographs well, so the photos really don't do it justice, as they say. But, please trust me that this recipe is one to have in your back pocket when you may be short on time, but still are wanting something lovely and pleasing on a chilly day.

NOTE: I have found that using buttermilk biscuits yields a dumpling that is oddly too sweet for this recipe. Therefore, I highly recommend using an original-style flavor of biscuit.

Yields 4 - 6 servings.

Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

Those close to me know me as a pretty huge Tim McGraw fanatic. I have followed Tim and his career faithfully for a couple of decades now. While working in a music office in Nashville, Tennessee at age nineteen, one of Tim's first hits - "Don't Take The Girl" - hit country radio. I would call in almost everyday to the radio station to request this particular song be played. Then, I'd sit there at my desk balling like a baby because the lyrics were just so touching and because I just adored his voice. {Truth be told, he isn't too bad on the eyes either.} Thus began my love affair with Mr. McGraw.

 

 

Throughout the years, my husband has lovingly endured my obsession with collecting Tim memorabilia, listening to just-released albums incessantly and hunting down the perfect concert tickets online.

Following his career lead me to watch he and Faith years ago on an Oprah show appearance. They prepared this recipe. The story goes that Tim made this for Faith in the early stages of dating.

I can't tell you how many times I've made this over the years since. It has definitely become a family favorite.

From my photos, it is obvious that the dumplings in this recipe are not your typical fluffy variety. They are rolled out and cut into squares. They have just three simple ingredients - flour, shortening and buttermilk. They remind me a bit of my homemade egg noodles, but these are made into larger squares instead of skinny noodles. This really is a simple, unpretentious recipe. But, it does require a bit of time {mostly hands-off} since the recipe calls for making the broth from scratch.

It's a recipe, however, totally worth making. It is one that is quite economical and one that epitomizes the meaning of comfort food.

Serves 4 - 6.