Thrifty Chicken and Dumplings

Cup of Chicken and Dumplings
We eat a lot of chicken in my house. Lots. Sometimes I think I might grow feathers but I really like chicken. Reinventing the bird so we don’t feel we are eating the same thing everyday can be a challenge but I am not challenged enough to cook something too exotic. After all, it is a waste of time and money if no one eats or likes something. Well, the other day we made a roast chicken. A couple of days after we had open faced sandwiches. Today I made chicken and dumplings with the rest of that same chicken. I thought that would be a good thing to eat with the weather being so cold. I also thought since it is so cold in the rest of the country I would share the recipe with y’all. This recipe makes a good hearty meal perfect for cold days. It is a good way to use up leftover chicken and vegetables.
Ingredients:
Chicken (Traditionalists use all white meat but I am thrifty and use leftovers) 

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups Self-rising flour

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup shortening
Vegetables (frozen peas and baby carrots work real well)

Chicken and dumplings start with good broth. You can use ready made or just make your own with the leftover chicken. Put the leftover chicken in a pot with about 2 quarts of water and simmer over a medium fire. Add a little salt. You can also add a little (teaspoon) of chicken bouillon powder to make the chicken flavor stronger. Let the broth cook about an hour.

Carefully remove the chicken from the broth. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones, gristle, and skin. Put the meat back into the broth. If you are using frozen vegetables, add them just before adding the dumplings.

Making dumplings from scratch is like making biscuits. Place the flour in a bowl and add the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour. It will get a pebbly texture. Add the milk a little at a time and mix in. The mixture should be soft, not wet or soupy. Add the mixture by spoon to the broth. These are called drop dumplings. Some people roll them out flat and cut them but it isn’t necessary. If you would rather have the roll out kind, just use more flour, roll them out, cut into strips, and then add the dumplings to the broth.

This is how it looks before the dumplings are cooked.
After you add the dumplings to the broth, bring it to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. It will create its own gravy. The vegetables will be tender. 

You can even skip the dumpling making step by using canned biscuits or frozen dumplings. Not bad, I just forget to buy those things.
A low fat alternative to homemade dumplings is flour tortillas, the kind used for burritos and wraps. Just slice them in strips and add them to the broth. The gravy won’t be as thick but it will still be good and have a few less calories.

Ready to eat. Not bad for a cold winter day.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff etsy and Goofing off Artfire.