Chicken and Dumplings

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded

• 1/2 c unsalted butter

• 1 c diced onion

• 1 c diced carrot (1/4 inch dice)

• 1/2 c finely chopped celery

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 c all-purpose flour

• 5 c reduced sodium chicken broth

• 1/3 c heavy cream

• 2 t chicken granule powder

• 1.5 t salt or to taste

• 1/2 t pepper or to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 c frozen peas

• 1 Tb lemon juice

• 4 tb fresh parsley, minced

Dumplings-

• 2 c cake flour

• 1 t sugar

• 1 Tb baking powder

• 1 t salt

• 2 tb unsalted butter, melted

• 1 c milk

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until the onion is translucent, 13-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring constantly, and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream, chicken granule powder, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Allow a slow simmer while you prepare the dumplings. Taste test for salt and pepper. Usually you won’t need salt but maybe some more pepper.

Dumplings-

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of this. Add the melted butter and milk to the well and stir with a fork a until the dough just comes together. It will be sticky.

Stir the chicken, peas, and parsley into the pot of soup.

Drop the dumpling mixture by large spoonfuls of dough over the surface of the chicken stew. Alternate dipping the spoon into water between scoops this will help the dumplings fall into the soup and not stick to the spoon.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid to look at them while they are cooking.