Carolina Chicken and Dumplings (Soups)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Soups
Date:	28/10/07 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: warm, filling, nutritious food, great for using up leftover chicken,

Disadvantages: Not suitable for persons with gluten intolerance

Growing up, soups and stews were a staple of the weekly diet. We would often have tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, Brunswick stew and cornbread for the evening meal, and if we had had roast chicken or had a "spare" couple of legs or breast or whatever left out of the mixed chicken pieces bag, we would have chicken and dumplings.

Chicken and dumplings is a very simple dish, and its simplicity belies the very full feeling one gets from having a bowl. An ideal dish on a cold winter's day, and one that is ideal for those on a tight budget, the slightly thickened broth and fluffy dumplings will sit in the stomach comfortably and leave you satisfyingly full.

The recipe:

Carolina Chicken and Dumplings

3 chicken pieces with meat removed from the bone or shredded leftover chicken.
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 tin of green beans
2 diced carrots

DUMPLINGS:
6 oz self raising flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, or veg oil
1 egg
3 oz milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper


Put chicken in Crockpot, cover with water and add the stock cube and vegetables. Cook on high, 4-5 hours. During the last hour, add dumplings.
For dumplings: Mix dry ingredients. Mix in the butter. When blended, add remaining ingredients. Dough should be very stiff, just workable.

You can also make this on top of the stove, cooking for 1 hour, adding the dumplings during the last 15-20 minutes.

If you want a thicker broth in the crockpot, you can add 1/2 tablespoon ground rice to make the broth a thicker consistency, or add 1/2 tablespoon cornflour to the cold water for cooking on top of the stove.

We often substitute petit pois peas for the green beans, so give both a try for variety, or to use what you have lurking in the cupboards and freezer. This recipe is indeed "reprinted" from a book, by my own admission, but it is my own book so I give myself permission to use it :)

Summary: Nice yummy, Southern USA comfort food that is good for you