Chicken and Dumplings

I have no idea if these are dumplings in the true sense… this is just a dang good bowl of yumminess. Give it a shot. It takes a while to whip up, but it’s really easy to make. And it’ll make anyone you serve it to say, “Ooh, aah and I love you.”

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cups all-purpose flour
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper
½ cups finely diced carrots
½ cups finely diced celery
1 whole medium onion, finely diced
½ teaspoons ground thyme
¼ teaspoons turmeric
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cups apple cider
½ cups heavy cream

Dumplings:
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon (heaping) baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-½ cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)
Salt as needed

Directions
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.

Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.

In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, and then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, and then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, and then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, and then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.
Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.