Chicken and Dumplings is a family favorite during the cold winter season. Here is my favorite version adapted from Pioneer Woman! I love that I can make both Chicken and Noodle Soup or Chicken and Dumplings off the same recipe.
Chicken and Dumplings/Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots (1/2 cup), diced
2 cloves garlic (1 tsp), minced
2 lbs of shredded cooked chicken (1/2 whole chicken)
6-8 cups of chicken broth. I start with six cups from our instant pot, then add more bone broth if needed. The amount depends on if you plan to cook your dumplings/noodles covered or uncovered and how broth-y you like your soups.
16oz of dumplings/ noodles (frozen noodle dumplings or egg noodles, homemade biscuit mix, or a can of pre-made buttermilk biscuits quartered)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream dependency on desired consistency ( I use less cream with noodles, more with dumplings)
Herbs and Spices:
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional but very very good)
fresh parsley for serving (also optional)
sometimes I add a little rosemary too
Directions:
Pre-cook your chicken. We always cook off a whole chicken with 4 cups of water in our instant pot. It only takes 30 minutes to pressure cook! A 5 pound chicken will give us two meals and makes the best chicken stock!!! You could also boil a couple chicken breasts or several tenders instead (you might need more water). Both ways taste great! But we love the stock the instant pot gives us! When we make dumplings, we sometimes make another pot of chicken and noodles (pictured above) for the kids with the SAME RECIPE. Then we have plenty of leftovers for the next day.
Saute onions, celery, and carrots in butter in your favorite soup pot
Add garlic, sauté for five minutes
Add chicken stock/broth, bring to boil
Add chicken bullion (optional)
Add herbs and spices, cook 2 minutes
Add chicken
Add dumplings or noodles
Let simmer 20 minutes (covered/uncovered according to package directions)
Add cream or cashew milk
Stir and Simmer to blend flavors
Remove bay leaf
Serve with fresh parsley
Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed
Enjoy!
Little Seed Lane 