Chicken Stew & Dumplings

It's officially Christmas season and you know what that means...

Shopping, parties, bustling with all the festivities and doing all the things!

So much fun and so much excitement...

Yet there may be moments when we just need to slow down and take a breath; a time out...

To recharge and to nourish ourselves....

And I've got the perfect dish to help you feel warm, cozy and cared for...

My Chicken Stew & Dumpling's has been a family favorite for years and years.

It never gets old and brings back so many lovely winter memories and memories of beautiful family gatherings at Christmas time...

Tree trimming, decorating, snowman building, sledding followed by chicken stew ans dumplings by the fire....

It feels like the perfect dish to share with you all as we kick off this cozy and festive time of year....

I hope you enjoy!!

From my kitchen to yours....

With love,

Mary

Chicken Stew & Dumplings

For the stew:

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb)

6-8 cups chicken broth or stock

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1 large potato, cut into 1” pieces

2-3 medium carrots, cut into 1” pieces

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp Italian seasoning or fresh herbs of your choice

Directions:

Place chicken in an 8 qt Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth. Bring to boil, reduce to light boil and cook until done, about 20 minutes.

Skim any fat from top.

Remove chicken and chop or shred.

Add all chopped veggies to pan.

Add back shredded chicken.

Add Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and paper.

Cook for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are tender.

While the veggies cook, prepare dumplings.

For the dumplings:

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp cold butter cut into cubes

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup cold milk

1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried), optional

Directions:

Cut butter into flour until mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add baking powder, salt and thyme. Stir. Stir in cold milk. Stir to combine.

Once stew is done, thicken stew:

Adjust any seasonings.

Combine 2 Tbsp flour and 1/2 cup of cold water. Shake or blend well. Stir liquid into hot stew and boil for about a minute to thicken.

Once stew is thickened, drop dough by spoonful onto the top of stew (you should end up with about 10 dumplings.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Cover and cook about 10 minutes longer.

Allow to cool a bit before serving.

Serves 4-5