One of my favorite dishes that my mother made was chicken and dumplings. She was not into spicy flavors, though, and never used anything but salt and pepper. A few years ago, my youngest daughter made some delicious chicken and dumplings that included Italian seasoning and I took that idea and incorporated it into my version. I also used two chicken breast halves rather than stewing a whole chicken. This is a great, filling, easy and economical meal.
MOM’S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
- Two chicken breast halves with ribs and skin
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning*
Dumplings:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 Tblsp. Shortening (Crisco)
- ½ cup milk
*Italian seasoning mix:
- 1 Tblsp. Dried basil
- 1 Tblsp. Dried sage
- 1 Tblsp. Dried thyme
- 1 Tblsp. Dried rosemary
- 1 Tblsp. Dried oregano
To make seasoning mix:
Mix together and keep in a closed container. This will make over ¼ cup of seasoning. Use only ½ tsp. for this recipe. It’s a good seasoning for many dishes, especially Italian food.
To cook chicken:
In a large pot, place two chicken breast halves with ribs and skin. Cover with 6 cups of water and cook over medium heat for approximately 1-½ hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken breasts from pot and pour broth into a large container to chill for an hour or two. Remove skin and bones from chicken and refrigerate breasts until ready to cook dumplings.
To cook broth:
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, remove any fat from the top of the chicken broth and pour four cups into the large pot. Heat to boiling.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, pepper, salt and Italian seasoning. Whisk this mixture into the hot broth and allow to thicken over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
To make dumplings
In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, and mix in Crisco shortening with your fingertips to distribute evenly. Stir in the milk to make a soft dough.
Bring broth to a boil and add the dumpling mixture by tablespoon.
Cover the pot, leaving a slight edge open so it won’t boil over and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
To serve, place some warmed pieces of the stewed chicken breast in the bottom of a bowl, add the broth and dumplings – and enjoy old-time, homey comfort on a winter day.
4 servings
Sounds just like what I feel like as we hunker down for another snowfall. Pretty new header!
Chicken and dumplings was what mom would make me when I came home from college for a visit! Good times.
Sounds just like what my grandma made!! Thanks for the reminder. Locally we have “slippery dumplings” or what you might call “Pennsylvania Dutch dumplings” which are more like wide noodles. The local AMISH population makes them and it was “almost” as good as grandma’s. 🙂
I shared this on my facebook page today…I know a couple of my sisters are likely to cook up a batch!!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I hope everyone enjoys the dish as much as I do. It’s a nice winter time meal, but I could eat it any day of the year. Lillian
I never could get dumplings right!
Oh, I will make this for sure! I prefer this type of dumpling to the noodle type. This looks great!
Hmmm. Should work with left over chicken too. Might be dinner tonight.
Oohh Weee! It’s a great day for chicken and dumplings – what a great addition, the Italian spices. next time we make some, I am going to use your recipe. Pinning!
I usually make chicken & dumplings when there’s a crowd but haven’t thought of cutting it down and making just enough for me… hmmm… great idea to add Italian seasonings.
My aunt used to make this, but I never knew how she did it. Thank you!
I meant to say the other day how much I love your beautiful floral header.
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
I did make it, today. since I was using left over chicken, I had to cheat and use bouillon–it worked. the Italian seasoning is a nice addition..
Thank you for letting me know you tried this and that it worked out for you. Lillian
I made the dumplings and they were delicious! I didn’t have the spices on hand so I just used salt and pepper. My aunt used to make the most wonderful chicken and dumplings and I never learned from her. I tried many times to make them and they never turned out like hers. She must have had a recipe like yours because the ones I made with your recipe tastes like hers. I didn’t know to add the ingredients to the broth and I didn’t know to leave the lid on while cooking the dumplings. Thanks again!
Deborah, I’m so glad this worked out well for you. Glad you enjoyed the dish.