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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Crockpot Chicken and Basil Dumplings

Comfort food made in a crockpot? I'd say that's comfort food at its finest! I know I say this every time I post a crockpot recipe but there is no greater feeling (or scent!) than walking through the door to find dinner cooking itself. It is well worth the extra bit of time the night before, especially for a meal like this that will leave you with enough to eat for at least a few meals!

I actually have only had chicken and dumplings a few times before. Actually my first memory of having them was at the Truman dining hall, where I went to college. I remember being pleasantly surprised by the doughy dumplings atop the warm filling. Granted, it wasn't hard to top most of what was served in the dining hall...

I've been out of college almost three years now (yikes!!), and figured it was time to try chicken and dumplings again. This stuff was even better than I remembered. The dumplings were my favorite part; my sister Julia was over for dinner the night we had this and she and I both returned to the crockpot to swipe extra dumplings off the top. The next time you need to come home to a comforting meal, give this one a shot!


Last night I used Random Number Generator to pick a winner for my CSN Giveaway. Number 17...Paige...was the lucky number! Paige, email me (natalie.mclaury@gmail.com) and I'll get you your $45 CSN code!


One Year Ago: Spinach Artichoke Frittata

Crockpot Chicken and Basil Dumplings
from Heather Drive

Ingredients:
for the soup-
-1 onion, chopped
-1 cup carrots, diced
-1 cup celery, diced
-1 cup frozen peas
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-8 cups chicken broth (I used 4 cups broth, 4 cups water)
-1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 frozen chicken breasts)
-1 tsp dried basil
-salt & pepper, to taste

for the dumplings-
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/2 tsp dried basil
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 tsp baking powder
-2 tbsp butter, softened
-1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
-1 large egg, lightly beaten

other-
-1/4 cup cornstarch
-1/4 cup chicken broth (can remove from the crockpot mixture when needed)
-1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Add all soup ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for six hours.
2. After six hours, prepare the dumpling dough by combining flour with basil, garlic powder, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small separate bowl, mix buttermilk and egg, whisking. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
3. Remove chicken from the crockpot and shred with 2 forks. Return chicken to crockpot. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup chicken broth, mixing to make a slurry. Pour slurry into the crockpot.
4. Drop dumpling dough (1-2 tbsp per dumpling), into the crockpot. Cover and continue to cook on low for an additional 1 1/2-2 hours. Just before serving, add the chopped parsley.