Chicken & Dumplings (Photo credit: Austin Jones)

Who’s tired of leftovers yet still wants comfort food? I got chu (that’s what the cool kids on the internet say.)

This one is chicken & dumplings from cousin Caroline’s husband. Meet Austin Jones. He’s the dad to five daughters and husband to one wife. So mealtime is hectic, and he’s definitely a great helper.

Austin Jones’ Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients

Stock:

1 whole chicken
2 onions (quarter)
3 celery stalks (half)
2 carrots (half)
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper
Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base (found in the aisle with chicken stocks and broth)

Boil chicken and all other ingredients for about 1.5 hrs. Once done, set chicken aside, discard veggies. Strain stock and return to pot. Pull chicken off bone once cooled and set aside for now.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk (a bit less than a full cup)

Dumplings: make the night before and freeze if possible. Make sure to dust with flour so they don’t stick.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making the dumplings by hand. Mary B’s Dumplings is really close and a very good substitute

Directions

Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, stir in milk and combine. Make sure there’s flour covering the exterior of dough so it’ll thicken stock.
Return stock to pot, and I usually add another 3-4 cups of water, bring to boil.
Once boiling I’ll add the dumplings a few at a time so as to not cool the stock too much. (This is when I will liberally use the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base). I add as needed for taste and preferred saltiness. Taste as you go, and it will be perfect!
Boil dumplings for around 45 minutes; they will thicken a little as you cook.
Add chicken back and cook for another 10-15 min. If my stock is too thin, I will make a cornstarch slurry (couple tablespoons with 3/4 cup cool water) to thicken broth.
Take off heat and serve. It’ll thicken a little as it cools.