It’s been awhile since I’ve done a recipe on this blog.
And boy, I had a craving.
The kind of craving where it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, you just have to drop everything and go to the store.
Yes, I had a craving for chicken and dumplings. Not just any kind of chicken and dumplings, cheesy chicken and dumplings.
I found a great recipe on Pioneer Woman’s blog. But, see, I had different ingredients and I had to add cheese. I love cheese, people.
Using Pioneer Woman’s recipe as a base, I totally adapted it, changed it and made it into my own recipe.
See, I’ve been experimenting by not following recipes and inventing my own.
It’s been real fun.
I encourage you to try it. In fact, if you try to follow my recipe here, you’re going to have to understand that the ingredients are ALL estimations.
My mom is an epic cook and I mean to tell you, I don’t think the woman has EVER followed a recipe in her life. She adds a little bit of this and a little bit of that and she makes these heavenly creations that I’d be lucky to re-create.
So, that is my own goal: add a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Don’t be scared. I have plenty of photos. Taste it as you go along and use the estimations.
For reference, here’s ABOUT what you’ll need:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- plenty of coarse sea salt
- cracked peppercorn
- About 2 cups flour, divided
- 1/2 – 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 4 small stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 pkg (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 pint half and half
- 1/2 – 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
You cook all this in one pot, pretty much, but it takes a LONG TIME: plan for about 2 hours from start to finish for this soup. But, that’s okay, you DON’T have to make anything to go with it if you don’t want to: it’s got everything. There’s meat, dairy, veggies, and carbohydrates.
Now, follow along.
First things first: you need a little wine and music to set the tone for this awesome dinner you’re going to make. Of course, this step is completely optional, but it sure does make everything seem REALLY yummy.
Get your chicken and sprinkle some coarse sea salt and some cracked peppercorn on both sides. This is going to be really yummy!
Fill a bowl with about 1 cup of flour. Dip the chicken in it on both sides until covered.
- Pour enough olive oil to coat the entire bottom of a large saucepan. Add 1 tbsp of butter and heat over medium-high heat.
Put the chicken into the oil and brown both sides. Just cook it until both sides are brown. You’ll cook it more later.
- While the chicken is cooking, coarsely chop up some carrots.
Coarsely chop a few sticks of celery.
- Coarsely chop about 1/2 of a sweet onion and mix it together with the celery and carrots.
See? Pretty chicken. It’s not cooked all the way, though.
- Cook the vegetables in the same oil you used for the chicken, adding more as necessary. Cook until the onion starts to become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the sage and turmeric to the cooking vegetables.
- Once the veggies have cooked about 4-5 minutes, add a box (about 32 oz.) of chicken broth.
Add about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar to the soup mix. It adds a teeny bit of tang and is incredibly good for you.
- Add all the chicken breast (in whole form) back to the pan. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
While everything is simmering, add the cream cheese to the soup mixture. You won’t really taste it, but it does give it a slight cheese aftertaste that is heavenly.
- Add the rest of the flour and about a tablespoon of the course sea salt to a bowl.
Add about a cup of the half and half and about 3-4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Add the rest of the half and half to the simmering chicken, vegetables and broth.
Before you start adding the dumplings, and after the chicken has simmered for 20 minutes, take it out of the pot and use two forks to shred it. Then add it back into the soup mixture.
- Take off spoon-sized chunks of dough. Don’t worry about shaping it. Put them into the pan.
Cover the chicken and dumplings and let it simmer and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- You don’t need anything else with this soup. It is just one delicious bite after another.
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Thank you so much for reading. Please feel free to share this post and I will send you some cyberlove!
23 Responses to Cheesy Chicken and Dumplings
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Pinned this and am so trying it. Looks delicious and your pictures are making me so hungry right now. Thanks seriously for sharing!!
Janine Huldie recently posted…Finish the Sentence Friday Blog Hop #4
Janine – hehe, sorry for making you hungry. Hehe. Not really. But, you know. <3
OMG! Just sign me up now and let this be my last meal on Earth. LOL I love everything in this recipe, and the picture alone had me drooling like some old junkyard dog.
Have a great weekend lil’ Sis!
Billybuc recently posted…Are You Enabling An Alcoholic?
Bill – haha. *sorry* I *really* tried to work on the quality of the photos for this. It took FOR.EVER. Haha. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Exquisite dish, I have to try this.
Thank you, Leovi! Your pics are stunning today!
YUM! I love chicken & dumplings- add cheese & it’s all GOOD!
Gina recently posted…Peanut Butter Nutella Salted Sandwich Cookies
Gina- dumplings are so good on coooold days like this, hehe.
Oh Cyndi! This brought back memories. When I was little, my grandmother would make dumplings (called kloytsky) and drop them into chicken soup—I loved them–and still miss her!
AudreyHowitt recently posted…Ms. Popularity
Audrey – that is so cool! I am sort of making my own little tradition with them – they’re fast becoming my winter staple dish.
omg…the pix made me so hungry.
I am a vegetarian but even that meat did not seem to bother me…lol
gotta go eat something, NOW!!
Ruchira recently posted…The Black Stallion
Ruchira, if it weren’t for chicken and bacon, well, I would be a vegetarian. Had a lovely tofu dinner last night.
Great photos to take us through each step. Well done!
Christy Birmingham recently posted…Cowboys and Poetry
Christy – thank you! <3
This looks amazing
You should have warnings… Don’t read if you are anywhere close to dinnertime. This will make your mouth drool. This is a must try for sure! YUMMY!
Stacy Lannoye Harris recently posted…This is Why People End Up Robbing Banks…
Stacy – lol…Dinnertime…drool…this is what I was doing when I made this.
This looks delicious, Cyndi!!I agree, a warning: avoid if reading if on a strict diet, coz this is too yummy. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle – oops. Sorry! HAHAHA.
cravings this delicious must be indulged! Yum. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things hop xo
Katherines Corner recently posted…Valentine Banner Bunting
Haha, Katherine, you’re right! Thanks for coming by!
Yums! I don’t mind cooking for 2 hours. I do that a lot for my boyfriend. I enjoy the experience, drinking a glass of wine (or two!) while I throw myself into the creative process. I really enjoy it!
Your photos look yummy!
Vicki – thank you. I can’t WAIT to see more of your blog posts, too.