Chicken & Dumplings

This is one of my go to meals. Colorado's weather in March bounces back and forth, one day 70 degrees out and the next day, snowing with the high of 20. Very hard to plan meals with this going on and I swear my teenager has a tape worm because he's always hungry and lately have not been making enough to fill his tummy. This is one of those meals that will leave the hungriest guy completely full.

Soup:

3 lbs of chicken thighs ( seems much but remember, you have bones)

4 cloves of garlic, just smashed enough to smell them

1 medium yellow or sweet onion

3 ribs of celery

4 carrots

1 tbsp of onion powder

1 tbsp. Garlic powder

1 tbsp. Salt

1 tsp. Dried basil

5 tbsp. Chicken bouillon, if using the cubes, only 3 of them, but I use better than bouillon's brand.

Dumplings:

1 ½ cup cake flour/ can us all purpose, but the cake flour makes the dumplings more "airy"

1 ½ tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp of fresh herbs of your choice ( I like chives)

5 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ tsp sugar

2/3 cup milk

Instructions:

In a dutch oven boil water and place chicken in the boiling water for an hour to 2 hours, depending the thickness of the chicken. Trust me, boiling the chicken will give you the starter broth , and the most moist chicken you will ever taste.

While that is boiling, smash your garlic, dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery into bite size pieces.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, set aside until cool enough to handle and strain the “chicken water” with a fine mesh strainer and save the water, and put back into the pot. Bring back to a boil. You can use 2 forks to tear the chicken apart but I use my hands. Throw away chicken bones and skin. While destroying your chicken, place remaining ingredients for the soup into the dutch oven, return chicken meat into the same pot and cover. Boil until veggies are firm to add the dumplings.

Dumplings:

Sift all dry ingredients, finely chop your choice of herb/s, add the flour mixture. Melt butter and add to milk and mix with the dry. Mixture will thick like paste. I use a cookie scoop to add the dumplings to the soup, or a soup spoon will work fine. Don't make them too big or they will not steam correctly.

Bring the soup to a rolling boil, quickly add the wet dumplings to the soup and cover with lid. Takes 10-15 minutes for the dumplings to steam in the soup. DO NOT lift the lid while cooking, we want the dumplings to steam not boil, boiling them will make them dense and mushy instead airy.

The flour from dumplings should thicken the soup but for some reason it doesn't or you want it thicker, follow the directions for making gravy with corn starch and add until desired thickness.

Enjoy, and if any is left... wait for the soup to cool and refrigerate. Seems even better the second day but we never have leftovers. 

photo:modernskillet.com

Bennigan's Ultimate Baked Potato Soup

Yields 8 (1 cup) servings or 4 main dish servings

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed
and pierced in several places
1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toppings
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled bacon
Chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Melt Butter in a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat. Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

Photo: copykat.com Source: Woman's Day magazine

Chinese Imperial Palace's Egg Drop Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 large egg lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoons freshly-ground white pepper
4 sliced green onion tops for garnish
Salt to taste

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-low heat. Very slowly stream in
the egg, use a fork to pull strands of the egg gently. Do not stir
vigorously, you will have a mess if you do. Add white pepper and salt.
Continue to cook until egg is done. Serve promptly.

Photo: squidoo.com

Chicken Velvet Soup

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

6 cups hot chicken stock

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups diced cooked chicken

Salt and pepper to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons instant chicken broth

Melt butter in large saucepan. Whisk in flour. Cook till flour begins to bubble. Stir in 2 cups of chicken stock, milk, heavy cream. Stir in the remaining stock, cooked chicken and chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Photo:www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au Source:catscookin19 at recipegoldmine.com

Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)

1 small butternut squash, chopped

6 1/3 cups chicken stock

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 pound of chopped cooked bacon , lobster, or crab. (no imitation)

Melt butter over moderate heat in large saucepan. Add the onion and rosemary and cook until soft (approximately 5 minutes).

Add chopped squash, chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, and white pepper and Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for approximately 2 hours - or until squash is tender.

Use blender to puree the hot soup.

add meat and chives to use for garnish.

Photo: by GodsMullet @ www.visualrecipes.com

Panera bread Broccoli Cheese soup

1 tablespoon butter, melted

½ medium onion, chopped

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups half-and-half

2 cups chicken stock or bouillon

½ pound fresh broccoli

1 cup carrots, julienne

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock

whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions.

Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now.

Pour in batches into blender and puree.

Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended.

Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Source:Mary6311 at recipegoldmine.com Photo: domestikitchen.blogspot.com