Chicken & Dumplings help

[Carolyn]

You can improve the broth by making your own chicken broth or by adding some chicken boullion. Garlic, thyme, a little rosemary are good seasonings to add to chicken. When you cook your chicken, add onions, garlic, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and cook until the chicken is done. Remove it from bone and add the bones, skin etc back to your cooking water and cook another 2 hours or so. You can do this well in advance of when you want to make dumplings. If you leave the top off and simmer on low it will concentrate the flavors. Then you strain it and you can let it set overnight and remove the fat if you need it fat free but the fat helps flavor the dish.
When you are ready to make the chicken and dumplings, heat the broth, add back the chicken and proceed as usual.
You can make broth from chicken bones, skins etc any time and freeze or can it or keep in fridge for several days. You need leg/thigh bones for flavor in the broth and the dark meat will add flavor to the dish also.

I am southern and most folks around here like thin dumplings. If you like thick dumplings you might try bisquick. You could also add a little thyme to them.

 

[peeplessinNC]

You can up the flavor in your chicken broth by adding a spoonful of Better Than Bouillon which is a national brand of chicken base in a paste form. I keep this on hand all the time now to make soup broth, cook vegetables, add to sauces, etc. Minor's is another brand and I recently picked up a container of this also. You can never have too much chicken base on hand especially now that it is getting to be soup weather!

 

[ChicksterJo]

I make this recipe with those fluffy type dumplings. I prefer these to the thinner dumplings. Basically I chop up some celery, yellow onion, a few cloves garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. I then add some sea salt and black pepper. I add celery salt too. Then I add the chicken pieces (I usually use chicken leg quarters or thighs, bone-in). The bone-in flavors the soup better. I then add water and let this boil until the chicken is cooked and mostly falling apart. You can then take out the chicken and remove the meat from the bones, then put the chicken pieces back in. At this point I add fresh rosemary sprigs and thyme and a couple bay leaves. Make sure there is a lot of soup because the dumplings will suck up some of it while they expand. Add more salt and pepper. While I let this simmer I make up the dumpling batter, which is
2 c. all-p flour (or you could use half white and half whole wheat)
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3/4 c. milk (2% or whole)
4 T. veg oil (don't use olive oil because the flavor will be really strong in the dumplings, unless you like this

)
You could add some other herbs or spices if you want. Sometimes I add in cayenne pepper or more thyme.
Mix it all up and the batter should be kinda thick. You should be able to scoop some up with a spoon.
Then drop the batter/dough by the spoonful (should make about 8 or 9 med-sized dumplings with this 1 recipe) onto the chicken soup. The heat should be at medium. They should start floating. This is really important. You have to keep the soup and the dumplings covered for 20 minutes. Don't get anxious and peek. When you open the pot, the dumplings should be cooked and fluffy. The soup will be a little thickened by now. You can add more herbs, spices, or salt and pepper. At this point I usually put freshly cracked black pepper. This is really good on cold rainy or snowy days and it reminds me a lot of making chicken pot pie.
ETA: I found my recipe's orig. link http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-and-dumplings-72963#ixzz1MfFP3ien
I think there's also an explanation there for Southern-style dumplings.

 

[BarefootMom]

I use the recipe on the back of the bisquick box... my hubby and kids love it!

 

[TifsBroodyBabes]

Quote:
Me too!!! I've used it for years and I always have people begging me to make them chicken and dumplings or as my DD used to say when she was little "chicklin and ducklings".lol!!!

 

[bigmike&nan]

It was sort of a brisk day Saturday, lots of amazing college football games on tv and good Fall weather outside. Glad I can watch the games on my iPhone on the deck.
At noon I started a huge roasting pan full of chicken soup. And about 4pm it was ready... Unfortunately I was low on Bisquick so I used BettyR's dumpling recipe on Page 1 of this thread. I had to make my own buttermilk and use butter instead of shortening but WHOA were they good.... Thank You BettyR....

Mike

 

[Olivia Wagner]

All kinds of chicken dumplings tastes less spicy. What can I do make them spicy, so as to increase its taste. I know adding the dough tastes a little spicy because of the pepper, but how can I make the broth saucy and spicy. Anybody who can help me in this, as I'm struggling a lot experimenting various tricks. I know dumplings are good for health, but for me it's necessary that it should be more tastier so that I can have it almost regularly.

 

[Carolyn]

Olivia, I listed above the herbs I like to use a few posts earlier. Are you wanting heat? A sprinkle of cayenne, chili peppers, lots of black pepper or hot sauce will accomplish that.