Description
Joanna Gaines’ chicken and dumplings recipe combines hearty Southern comfort with homemade goodness. Warm chicken broth, tender meat, and fluffy dumplings create a perfect meal that brings families together around the table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (907 grams) bone-in skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 4 ½ cups (1080 milliliters) chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups (360 milliliters) half and half
- 5 tbsps (75 grams) butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup (150 grams) carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- ¾ cup (120 grams) frozen peas
- 2 cups (240 grams) cake flour or regular flour
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp (15 milliliters) olive oil
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 chicken bouillon cube, optional
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce (Frank’s hot sauce)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp ground sage
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soup Foundation: Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, releasing caramelized remnants. Sauté diced onions, carrots, and celery until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
- Flavor Enhancement: Introduce minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings. Let ingredients meld for one minute, creating a robust flavor profile.
- Thickening Process: Coat vegetable mixture with all-purpose flour, toasting for 2 minutes while stirring to prevent burning and develop a nutty essence.
- Liquid Integration: Whisk chicken broth into the pot, eliminating potential lumps. Smoothly blend half-and-half cream, maintaining a silky consistency. Add chicken bouillon and frozen green peas.
- Dumpling Preparation: Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Gently fold sour cream, whole milk, and melted butter into the mixture, avoiding overmixing to create a soft dough.
- Cooking Assembly: Return cooked chicken to the simmering soup. Delicately drop dumpling portions across the surface using a cookie scoop or tablespoon.
- Steaming Stage: Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, maintaining a gentle simmer. Steam dumplings for 15-18 minutes without lifting the lid, ensuring complete cooking.
- Final Touches: Check dumpling doneness with a toothpick. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately in warm bowls, presenting a comforting and hearty meal perfect for cool evenings.
Notes
- Prevent Lumpy Sauce: Whisk broth and cream continuously while adding to ensure a smooth, velvety consistency without any unwanted flour clumps.
- Dumpling Handling Tip: Gently fold dumpling ingredients just until combined; overmixing will create tough, dense dumplings instead of light, fluffy ones.
- Flavor Layering Technique: Toast flour with vegetables before adding liquid to develop a deeper, nuttier flavor profile that elevates the entire dish.
- Steam Management: Keep lid tightly sealed during dumpling cooking to trap steam and ensure perfectly cooked, tender dumplings without peeking or disturbing the cooking process.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 525
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg