Tag: comfort food

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Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

It’s a cold, grey, and rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest, which is the perfect time for some filling comfort food. In my opinion, nothing can counteract the clouds like a big bowl of Chicken & Dumplings. Grab a big spoon and warm up from the inside out!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  • 1 Stalk Celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup Whipping Cream
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch, mixed with water
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Shortening
  • 1/2 cup Milk

Directions

  1. Combine chicken broth, chicken breast cubes, frozen vegetables, celery, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a large pot.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. While chicken mixture is cooking, place flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal.
  5. Transfer flour mixture to a bowl, and set aside.
  6. When chicken is cooked, add whipping cream to pot and stir to combine.
  7. Mix corn starch with water, and add to pot. Stir to combine. Cover pot.
  8. Add milk to flour mixture. Mix until well combined and sticky, adding a little extra milk if needed.
  9. Drop spoonsful of dough, approximately 1 inch in diameter, into the pot.
  10. Cover pot and cook until dumplings are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

 

Sneaky Trick: There are a lot of recipes out there that call for the use of “baking mix” (e.g. Bisquick), but it’s very easy (and cheaper) to make your own. In fact, we do a scaled down version of just that in this recipe! You can also make a bigger batch and store it for up to three months. Here’s the full-sized recipe:

  • 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 3 tbsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tbsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Shortening*

*Use vegetable shortening if you plan on storing this, or any shortening or even lard will do if you’re going to use it all right away.

  1. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.
  2. Cut in shortening and pulse again until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal. 
  3. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
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Chicken Pot Pies

What’s not to love about this classic comfort food? If you’re planning on spending a couple of days binge-watching your favorite show, it’s easy to make a whole passel of small pot pies ahead of time for reheating when you’re between episodes. This will make four single-serving pot pies or one humongous one.

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1  16 oz. Package of Frozen Vegetables
  • 3 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp. Water

Crust Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. Shortening
  • About 6 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Directions

  1. Cook chicken breasts in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, about 15 minutes. If chicken is still frozen before cooking, increase cooking time to 20 minutes.
  2. Remove pot from burner and drain. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board.
  3. Cut cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Return to pot.
  4. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and parsley to pot and cook over medium high heat until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally.
  5. Mix corn starch and water in a small, sealable container, and shake until well combined.
  6. Add to chicken mixture and stir until it begins to thicken. (If not thick enough, add up to another teaspoon of cornstarch with water, but don’t go crazy. It will thicken some when it cools.)
  7. Remove chicken mixture from heat and set aside.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  9. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
  10. Add shortening and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  11. Slowly add ice cold water, thoroughly combining with flour mixture until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is joined into one large, slightly moist lump.
  12. Turn approximately half the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  13. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  14. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  15. Place a pie tin(s) upside down on the dough, and cut a circle wide enough to cover the interior slightly beyond the lip of the pan(s).
  16. Line pan(s) with the dough you have just cut. It should protrude above the lip of the pan(s).
  17. If using multiple pans, repeat cutting dough and lining pans until all pans have been lined with dough.
  18. Spoon chicken mixture into prepared pie pan(s), about 3/4 full.
  19. Turn the remaining half of the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  20. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  21. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  22. Cut rolled dough to a size suitable to cover the top of the pie(s).
  23. Cover pie(s) with crust, and crimp edges together all the way around to seal.
  24. Using a sharp knife, cut a simple design in the top crust to vent the pie. (This is not the type of pie on which you want to try a fancy-schmancy cut crust design. This filling is lumpy and bubbly, and all of your artistic toil will be for naught.)
  25. Arrange pie pan(s) on a baking sheet lined with foil.
  26. Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, until crust just begins to brown.
  27. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
  28. To reheat pot pie, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. (Defrost first if frozen.)
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Dadgum Biscuits & Gravy

I spent a few years in Texas, and this dish is something that everyone is required to learn to make before they’ll issue you a Concealed Handgun License. These biscuits are freakin’ fantastic, and my gravy has a not-so-traditional twist or two that gives it a lot of savory flavor. Y’all are fixin’ to be full as a tick!

THE BISCUITS

This makes about six biscuits, so double the recipe if you’re hungry enough to eat the south end of a northbound mule.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon White Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Shortening
  • 1 cup Milk

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
    3. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
    4. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
    5. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead.
    6. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    7. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    8. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    9. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    10. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    11. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Dust with flour and fold twice.
    12. Roll dough out to a full inch thick. (Aren’t you glad I didn’t say, “Dust with flour and fold twice.” again?)
    13. Cut biscuits from rolled dough with a pint glass dipped in flour.
    14. Repeat until all dough is used.
    15. Place biscuits onto a foil-lined baking sheet very lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  (You can omit the cooking spray if you’re feeling lucky, but why risk it?)
    16. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges begin to brown.
    17. Remove from oven and set aside.

 

THE GRAVY

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp.  Cooking Oil
  • 3/4 cup Chopped Onion
  • 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 cups Whole Milk
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat cooking oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add chopped onion and cook until slightly soft, just a minute or two.
  3. Add ground beef and cook until JUST brown, when the last bit of pink has barely disappeared.
  4. Do NOT drain fat from the ground beef mixture.
  5. Add garlic powder and flour and mix until all meat is well coated.
  6. Add milk and cook and stir until thick and bubbly.
  7. If gravy is too thick, add a little more milk until it’s just right.  (Keep in mind, this is no wimpy, runny gravy!)
  8. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  9. Split biscuits in half lengthwise on a plate and smother with gravy.
  10. Say, “Gadgum!” when you taste them!
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