Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (cut Up Fryer) . Or whatever chicken you have on hand. I happened to use 4 leg/thighs.
• Salt And Pepper
• 6 carrots
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• ½ teaspoons Ground Thyme
• 12 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1.5 cups Heavy Cream
• Dumplings:
• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Yellow Cornmeal (you can substitute flour if you do not have)
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1-½ cup Half-and-half (if you do not have, melt 1T of butter in a 1 cup container; add milk to 1 cup)
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (optional). I do not use.
• Salt As Needed
Preparation Instructions
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, then pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, 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, 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, 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.
Gets better after sitting in fridge overnight!