Sate Yourself

Ever since I can remember I have hated dumplings.  They are either too doughy, or too soggy.  I think the problem is is that they are usually placed on top of a broth soup such as chicken noodle.  However, I have fallen in love with dumplings because of the following recipe.

Chicken and Dumplings

 6 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves 5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup frozen peas
1 whole chicken, rotiserried, baked, roasted
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

DUMPLINGS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup minced chines

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first five ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside
2. In a dutch oven, saute carrots and celery in oil and butter until tender. Add minced garlic; cook one minute longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add prepared broth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently.
3. Add peas, return to a boil.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until peas are tender.  Stir in chicken and cream. Heat through.
4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne in a lrge bowl. In another bowl, combine buttermilk and eggs; stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.
5. Drop by tablespoonsful onto simmering chicken mixture. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering).  Garnish with chive before serving.

Helpful hints:

Do not vary from this recipe.  Although it may appear that the soup is a little thin, it will thicken more while the dumplings are cooking.
We kind of did this more like a huge potpie.  We put the pot in the oven and baked it until the tops of the dumplings were a golden brown.  Actually, if you were to put the soup in bowls and cover with the dumpling mixture and bake, you would have the most awesome chicken potpie in the world.

Recipe is courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine