Chicken and Dumplings for Two

When I decided to buy a few goldfish several years back, I thought it would be a breeze. To make things even easier, I automated the feeding process by buying an electric feeder that easily clamped to the side of the tank. It was a brilliant invention that I thought would be the best $10 I had ever spent. Of course, I failed to read the directions that suggested I adjust the feeding intervals before regular use.

When I returned from a long business trip, I was greeted with a tank full of floating gold nuggets that used to be my lovely pets. As I was looking at the tank wondering why all my fish died, the feeder clicked and dropped more food into the murky water. At that moment, I learned a very valuable lesson about fish. When they come in contact with food, they can’t stop eating it. They still go after the flakes even if their tummies are full.

There are times when I’m just like my goldfish. When I come in contact with Chicken and Dumplings, I can’t stop eating them. Even when my tummy is about to explode with the creamy goodness of the chicken and vegetables, I still think I can have “just one more bite”. So I decided it would be best to scale back and make the soup for two. But don’t be fooled, there still will be at least a little left over for when the urge starts calling.

Chicken and Dumplings for Two
Soup:
1 Tbl. olive oil
2 uncooked chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ cup butter, unsalted
¼ cup celery, small diced
¼ cup yellow onion, small diced
¼ cup carrot, small diced
3 Tbl. flour
2 (15 oz. can) chicken broth, low sodium
¼ cup frozen peas

Dumplings:
1 ½ cup baking mix, Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

In a small Dutch oven or heavy stock pot, preheat the olive oil on medium high heat. Dice the chicken breasts into medium sized pieces and slowly add them to the oil. Add the thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder to chicken. Sauté for 2 – 3 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked though, but not brown. Remove and set aside.

To the same Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery, onions and carrots to the butter. Stir occasionally for 4 – 5 minutes or until the onions are slightly translucent. Next, add the flour and stir for 1 minute until the flour has completely absorbed the butter. Stir in the cooked chicken and slowly add the chicken stock. Make sure you stir while adding the stock to prevent the flour from causing lumps.  Add the frozen peas to the broth.

In a separate bowl, combine the baking mix and milk until well incorporated. Bring the broth to a boil. This is important for the dumplings to steam properly. Drop large tablespoons full of the dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover the soup and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, covered. Serve with a smile.

Authors Note: I like really large dumplings in my soup. I think it’s heartier and makes a great statement. Feel free to reduce the size if you like smaller dumplings. You might need to reduce the uncovered cooking time to 5 minutes.

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