For your comfort, "Chick & Dumplin'"

~As I drudge through my 7Th day of sickness, and I open a can of chicken noodle for me and the lil one to eat, I wish I had a roasted chicken carcass in my fridge (instead I have thawed deer chili meat...later about that). If I did have a carcass in my fridge I usually have the breast meat in tact or in a baggy. That is where this recipe usually starts for me.
I originally got this recipe from Mae Me about 5 years ago after KG and I were first married (or right before?).... I still have that thick scrap of printing paper with the words chick& dumplin etched on it in neon pink sharpieCan you see the way my little brain works? I can't, but this worked for me, for years and now I find my 'chick and dumpli' have completely evolved....ok so KG reads this post and says to me "you realize the recipe is written on the back of one of our wedding invitations"It was actually just a scrap from a our handmade by, ME, wedding invitations...oops!?!, So for the record it was right AFTER we got married....


~When I first started making this recipe I used to start by boiling the chicken. For our taste, legs and thighs (our favorite part of a chicken) with onion garlic and celery then I would fish out the bones and finish the recipe(usually leaving some small sharp bones, Ouch!) . At the time I had only been a meat eater for a short while and I had never roasted anything and did not realize the prolific~ness of a whole roasted chicken. Nor did I realize that one should try never to boil meat that you intend to eat unless it is cased like a sausage or already cooked with the flavor locked in by searing or roasting(again incased). When I started roasting chickens ( yet another post ) I realized we had enough meat usually for 2 or 3 more meals(two dinners and 2 lunches) plus all these bones for stock, KG was really getting into stock making.

As for the tattered recipe card I realize I only look at it now to remind myself that it is 10 min for the dumplings. So here is my adaptation.

Ingredients
*Chicken about 2-4servings gotten one of these ways
roasted whole chicken and bones this is what I do (usually the day after we had legs and
thighs leaving me with breast meat and bones)
Or you could roast 2 leg quarters and pull that meat off and use the bones for stock
or pan cook a couple of breasts and use store bought stock.If you do this use the saute
pan to cook your breast meat then set the meat aside and cook your veggies in that pan.
*Stock about 2 cups home made plus 2 cup of h2o
or 3 cups store box stock.
*frozen or canned southern style biscuits
*3 TB unsalted butter
*2 TB olive oil
*1c heavy cream
*Finely chop the following veggies
*1 Small onion
*2 carrots
*2 celery stalks
*2 garlic cloves
*1-2 tsp garlic salt
*2 TB herbs De Provencal
*1tsp ground sage or 1 TB fresh sage leaves
*salt and ground pepper to taste



STOCK
Here is how I get my stock (I think this is probably a non -traditional method).
Boil bone and vegetable remnants( we have a gallon zip lock bag in the freezer for when we the extra stuff that we don't usually use in food we eat and also things that are about to go bad, I also through the bones of the chicken in the freezer if I am not making my stock right away.)
If you have no veggie remnants use about: 2 carrots 2 celery stalks 4 garlics 1/2 and onion and a small handful of whole pepper corns. I usually just fill the pan with water and reduce i down to around 2 or 3 cups and I strain the stock. This is usually 2 hours at least. I just do it early in the day and then keep checking it. I leave it covered for most of the time.


SOUP
In another pan ( the pan shown is my favorite soup pan it is a very wide lidded saute pan)
I saute on med high in 1 TB butter 2TB olive oil onion, garlic, celery,carrots,until tender add in all herbs and garlic salt and ground pepper About 10-15 min total here. Add coarsely chopped chicken, allowing things to get nice and crispy but not burned probably 5-7 min. De glaze your pan with about a cup of your stock making sure to get all the yummy bits form the bottom of your pan loose with your stock. Add the rest of your stock and enough water to bring the liquid up to about 3 cups, and cook over medium flame for 30m or so. Add cream and 2 TB butter and simmer on super low for another 20 in or so . Mean while cut biscuits into quarters. Now gently add your biscuits, cover and cook for ten min(leave the cover on for 10 min no peeking) After that remove lid allow a VERY low boil for another 10 min or so. This is why I like to use my widest covered pan I think the more surface area you have the better for your dumplings. I know That maybe I should make my own dumplings and one day I will but this seems to work fine for now.