If you ask any six people on the street to tell you their favorite comfort food, I believe at least one of those six people will say chicken and dumplings. Even though chicken soup and most every other one-pot style chicken dish may be right up there, for some reason chicken and dumplings just whispers "relax" gently in your ear.
Each person and each family has their own opinion of what a real chicken and dumplings meal should be. Depending on where you grew up and how your folks cooked would determine how you prefer making this chicken recipe. Let's examine a couple basic differences in some simple chicken and dumplings cooking methods.
Starting with the base for the recipe - the pot of chicken. Some folks swear that chicken and dumplings is no more than chicken soup with dumplings on top. This is one variety that is very well regarded, and very delicious, indeed. Simply taking your favorite chicken soup recipe and mixing up a batch of dumplings to drop on top is a great way to ensure your dish will be well loved by the whole family, since they already love your chicken soup!
Now we have the creamy chicken stew style of recipe. After you cook the chicken in a pot of water or broth, basically stewing it, you pick the meat off from the bones, shred or dice it, and return the meat to the pot. Then you add whatever you want to make it creamy - sour cream, milk, cream, or a combination. You can also add some chopped vegetables; anything you might in a stew. Once you bring the stew back up to a boil, you add the dumplings and cook until dumplings are done. You may have to add a bit of extra broth or water, but the end result is a thick, stew like dish with dumplings on top.
Another method is an oven baked chicken style of chicken and dumplings. Bake a cut up chicken in a Dutch oven until tender and remove it to the stove top. Then add your cut up vegetables if you like and some water or broth. Once the pot comes back to a boil, you can add your dumplings and cook as you desire. The chicken pieces are served whole with the veggies and dumplings on the side; similar to a pot roast style of dinner.
The subject of dumplings could be exhausting. We tend to take our dumplings quite seriously. However, some prefer to speed up the process and swear by the simple store bought biscuit, cut up and dropped into the chicken pot. Others prefer to whip up a simple dumpling with basic ingredients like flour, eggs, oil, salt, and ice water. You can even make dumplings with just flour, salt, and ice water. You can also make them a bit fancy with the addition of seasonings, cheese, and herbs.
The actual method for cooking your dumplings will vary according to the recipe. There is no one method that works better than another in every recipe. Some cooks swear by putting the lid back on the pot while others say the lid must remain off. Whatever works in your favorite chicken and dumplings recipes is all that really matters. You'll find the best method that works for your recipes, which is all any food lover wants anyway.
As you develop your own personal favorite chicken and dumplings recipes, don't fret about how each recipe differs so much. Like many comfort foods, this is another dish that most likely was created out of trial and error and with the food in supply during a cold, dark winter's day. After every attempt at making this much loved dish, you'll be able to look at a whole new collection of recipes for chicken and dumplings that were created by you and you alone! Enjoy!
Each person and each family has their own opinion of what a real chicken and dumplings meal should be. Depending on where you grew up and how your folks cooked would determine how you prefer making this chicken recipe. Let's examine a couple basic differences in some simple chicken and dumplings cooking methods.
Starting with the base for the recipe - the pot of chicken. Some folks swear that chicken and dumplings is no more than chicken soup with dumplings on top. This is one variety that is very well regarded, and very delicious, indeed. Simply taking your favorite chicken soup recipe and mixing up a batch of dumplings to drop on top is a great way to ensure your dish will be well loved by the whole family, since they already love your chicken soup!
Now we have the creamy chicken stew style of recipe. After you cook the chicken in a pot of water or broth, basically stewing it, you pick the meat off from the bones, shred or dice it, and return the meat to the pot. Then you add whatever you want to make it creamy - sour cream, milk, cream, or a combination. You can also add some chopped vegetables; anything you might in a stew. Once you bring the stew back up to a boil, you add the dumplings and cook until dumplings are done. You may have to add a bit of extra broth or water, but the end result is a thick, stew like dish with dumplings on top.
Another method is an oven baked chicken style of chicken and dumplings. Bake a cut up chicken in a Dutch oven until tender and remove it to the stove top. Then add your cut up vegetables if you like and some water or broth. Once the pot comes back to a boil, you can add your dumplings and cook as you desire. The chicken pieces are served whole with the veggies and dumplings on the side; similar to a pot roast style of dinner.
The subject of dumplings could be exhausting. We tend to take our dumplings quite seriously. However, some prefer to speed up the process and swear by the simple store bought biscuit, cut up and dropped into the chicken pot. Others prefer to whip up a simple dumpling with basic ingredients like flour, eggs, oil, salt, and ice water. You can even make dumplings with just flour, salt, and ice water. You can also make them a bit fancy with the addition of seasonings, cheese, and herbs.
The actual method for cooking your dumplings will vary according to the recipe. There is no one method that works better than another in every recipe. Some cooks swear by putting the lid back on the pot while others say the lid must remain off. Whatever works in your favorite chicken and dumplings recipes is all that really matters. You'll find the best method that works for your recipes, which is all any food lover wants anyway.
As you develop your own personal favorite chicken and dumplings recipes, don't fret about how each recipe differs so much. Like many comfort foods, this is another dish that most likely was created out of trial and error and with the food in supply during a cold, dark winter's day. After every attempt at making this much loved dish, you'll be able to look at a whole new collection of recipes for chicken and dumplings that were created by you and you alone! Enjoy!
About the Author:
It's easy to learn how to make chicken and dumplings with a few simple recipes. A good chicken recipe doesn't have to be difficult when you learn the basics - and the results are delicious!
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