*my* chicken and dumplin’s

I got a cookbook for Mother’s Day! I’ve been reading Christy Jordan’s blog, Southern Plate, for quite a while and decided that I needed her cookbook for Mother’s Day. And being the sweetie that he is…and knowing that some good food was sure to follow…hubby obliged.

I really enjoyed reading Southern Plate. It’s more than just a cookbook, but also a collection of stories about her family and her southern heritage. It made me laugh and made me cry a couple of times too.

It also made me hungry. Very very hungry.

When we go out to one certain place, my hubby always orders chicken and dumplings.

Or chicken and dumplin’s, that is.

Christy’s recipe reminded me that I could make them at home. But I chose not to follow her recipe because of fat content and dairy products.

So I created my own recipe. And it got three thumbs up from the fam!

I opened a carton of chicken broth and started bringing it to a boil. I added boneless, skinless chicken breasts (would use tenders from here on out) and brought that to a gentle boil covered until the chicken was done. I did end up cutting up the chicken to speed things along. Using tenders I wouldn’t have to do that step.

I then added two cans of chicken gravy. Many recipes in books and online use a cream soup here but since I can’t use those, I opted for the gravy. I used to buy Campbells brand, but now I just get Great Value at Walmart and it tastes exactly the same. So two cans of that and stir.

Then I mixed up two batches of “dumplings” from the recipe on the side of the box of Bisquick Heart Smart. I think it ended up being about 3/4 of a cup (or a little more) of baking mix and about 6 tablespoons of water. (recipe calls for milk, but I subbed the water) It turns out fine. Mix until it seems like it wants to stick together. I floured my fingers and kneaded it in the bowl a little bit.

When the chicken was done, I spooned out rounded eating spoons of the dough and put them in the broth, careful to space them out. I reduced the heat to a bit over simmer and covered for 10 minutes, then continued to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

The gravy was a little thin so I mixed a little cornstarch with water and thickened things up just a tad.

And we didn’t have a single drop leftover.

The end.