One of my favorite recipes came from my grandmother. Or should I say the recipe comes from her kitchen – a small kitchen in New Jersey that was full of toast and tea. The ingredients are simple – chicken, celery, onion, canned diced tomatoes (yes canned), basil and marjoram. One of the secrets of this dish is a bullion cube. I have to admit, this is the only dish I have ever used bullion in. It’s the only dish I would ever use Bisquick in! But with these put together it’s the most satisfying and heart warming dish. I was the brazen one to add Bisquick. Here’s how I make it:
4-6 bone in skinless chicken thighs (buy them with the skin on – its cheaper and it’s the same product)
1 large yellow onion diced – about 1 ½ cups
1 stalk celery diced– about ½ cup
1 carrot diced – about ½ cup
1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube
1 can 28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon each of dried basil and marjoram
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1st remove the skin from the thighs and trim the fat
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper
Put a tablespoon of olive oil in Dutch oven and heat until it shimmers
Drop the bullion cube in and let it sizzles of a little bit
Now add the onion, celery and carrot. Let the onions and veggies sweat and the bullion cube is dissolved – about 10 minutes. Watch your heat – it is easy to burn the bullion cube!
After 10 minutes add in the chicken and let it cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side.
Note – this chicken doesn’t brown (browning wasn’t big in the 40’s
Now add the can of diced tomatoes. Stir it and make sure there is plenty of liquid. If you want – you can always add rescue stock to the pot
Turn the heat down and cover it. Let is simmer for about 45 minutes to and hour. Chicken thighs can take long cooking times so don’t worry about over cooking it. Longer is always better (this is your cue to pour some wine or take a walk (though I’m the wine girl) and let the stew get happy all by itself. Soon it will be sharing its time with the dumplings– that’s why its important to keep the liquid in the pot.
After – say an hour – check it. Take spoon and remove any fat from the top and taste for seasoning. Remember, bullion cubes are basically all salt so go easy on the salting. Add in your basil and marjoram and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.
While that’s bubbling for the last 10 minutes make the dumplings from the Biquick. The recipe is on the side of the box. The dumpling should rest for about 10 or so minutes.
Now – its dumpling time and time to make the magic!
With the stove on medium (should be a slow but definite boil) start to drop the dumplings in – 1 soup spoon full at a time. After you have scraped the bowl, take your spoon and “wash it off” in the pot so the dumpling mix disperses through the stew.
Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Hold yourself back from opening the lid and looking at your beautiful dumplings puffing up – DO NOT OPEN THE LID!!! Dumplings hate to be seen while growing!
After 30 minutes take the lid off and with a fork, check the dumpling for doneness. Insert a fork in the middle of a dumpling and pull back slightly it should have a cake like feel and look. Now – one important thing to remember. This recipe does not call its self pretty. The dumplings are big and bulky and basically loose their shape and become a big dome on top of the chicken. That’s ok – grandma wasn’t looking for pretty!
Let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes off the heat just to get the scorching, roof of your mouth burning temperature down.
You’re done!! Now take a big spoon and scoop it out. Your friends and family will love you forever!
Here are some important facts:
The chicken stew can be made a day before, chilled down and then slowly reheated and brought back to a boil and then your off to dumpling time. Remember, you want plenty of liquid in the stock so you may have to add a little stock.
The dumplings and stew can be cooled down and frozen. What a wonderful little gift for anyone who pulls out that container from the freezer!
You can add white wine when sweating the veggies – just make sure you cook the wine out before adding the chicken.
Chicken and Dumplings Grandma's Way
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- 4-6 bone in skinless chicken thighs (buy them with the skin on – its cheaper and it’s the same product)
- 1 large yellow onion diced – about 1 ½ cups
- 1 stalk celery diced– about ½ cup
- 1 carrot diced – about ½ cup
- 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube
- 1 can 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon each of dried basil and marjoram
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
1st remove the skin from the thighs and trim the fat
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper
Put a tablespoon of olive oil in Dutch oven and heat until it shimmers
Drop the bullion cube in and let it sizzles of a little bit
Now add the onion, celery and carrot. Let the onions and veggies sweat and the bullion cube is dissolved – about 10 minutes. Watch your heat – it is easy to burn the bullion cube!
After 10 minutes add in the chicken and let it cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side.
Note – this chicken doesn’t brown (browning wasn’t big in the 40’s
Now add the can of diced tomatoes. Stir it and make sure there is plenty of liquid. If you want – you can always add rescue stock to the pot
Turn the heat down and cover it. Let is simmer for about 45 minutes to and hour. Chicken thighs can take long cooking times so don’t worry about over cooking it. Longer is always better (this is your cue to pour some wine or take a walk (though I’m the wine girl) and let the stew get happy all by itself. Soon it will be sharing its time with the dumplings– that’s why its important to keep the liquid in the pot.
After – say an hour – check it. Take spoon and remove any fat from the top and taste for seasoning. Remember, bullion cubes are basically all salt so go easy on the salting. Add in your basil and marjoram and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.
While that’s bubbling for the last 10 minutes make the dumplings from the Biquick. The recipe is on the side of the box. The dumpling should rest for about 10 or so minutes.
Now – its dumpling time and time to make the magic!
With the stove on medium (should be a slow but definite boil) start to drop the dumplings in – 1 soup spoon full at a time. After you have scraped the bowl, take your spoon and “wash it off” in the pot so the dumpling mix disperses through the stew.
Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Hold yourself back from opening the lid and looking at your beautiful dumplings puffing up – DO NOT OPEN THE LID!!! Dumplings hate to be seen while growing!
After 30 minutes take the lid off and with a fork, check the dumpling for doneness. Insert a fork in the middle of a dumpling and pull back slightly it should have a cake like feel and look. Now – one important thing to remember. This recipe does not call its self pretty. The dumplings are big and bulky and basically loose their shape and become a big dome on top of the chicken. That’s ok – grandma wasn’t looking for pretty!
Let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes off the heat just to get the scorching, roof of your mouth burning temperature down.
You’re done!! Now take a big spoon and scoop it out. Your friends and family will love you forever!
Notes
Here are some important facts: The chicken stew can be made a day before, chilled down and then slowly reheated and brought back to a boil and then your off to dumpling time. Remember, you want plenty of liquid in the stock so you may have to add a little stock. The dumplings and stew can be cooled down and frozen. What a wonderful little gift for anyone who pulls out that container from the freezer! You can add white wine when sweating the veggies – just make sure you cook the wine out before adding the chicken.
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