Can you high five yourself?? I guess that’s just called clapping. Well whatever. I pretty much deserve a round of applause over here anyway. My friend Tawna has 5 siblings, and her mom had a chore jar all growing up. Pull out a slip of paper with a chore on it, get it done. Then put it back in the jar. Thaaaat’s it. I know, really ground breaking stuff going on here. When I tell people the system they ask two things: what if you pull the same chore 2 days in a row? The answer: who cares! It’s almost like a free day because it will be so easy to get done. That’s actually my favorite way to clean (cleaning clean things). You know what’s gross? Scrubbing a dirty shower. You know what’s not gross? Wiping down a clean shower every day. (I actually do this. I’ve come a really long way from this post. Don’t judge me if you read that!!) The second thing everyone asks about is rewards. No rewards! No one puts a sticker on a chart when I do the dishes, darn it! (Although sometimes I give myself ice cream afterward…) Today was only our third day, but I have high hopes. Another friend of ours started the chore jar 3 weeks ago and her son is still super excited about it. Out of the 20 slips of paper I put in the jar, 16 have chores and 4 have fun things, like, Free Day, read a book, or bake cookies with Mom. The kids are really excited about that one! Some recipes I found had dumplings that were more like homemade noodles, rolled out and cut, like the ones in this Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles. I think that might be a southern thing. My grandma always just mixed up the batter in a bowl and spooned it on top of the chicken to cook. Sounds a lot faster than rolling it out! I just did this right in the slow cooker.
Cream of chicken soup (I’m no hater. But that’s not what Grandma Georgia used.) Frozen carrots and peas Canned biscuits (There is a time and place for canned biscuits…but dumplings are not biscuits.) It is not brothy chicken soup with biscuits floating in it. It’s CHICKEN with DUMPLINGS. Not chicken soup. Get that broth outta here. (In fact, turn it into gravy!)
Here are some things this recipes DOES have:
Gravy. LOTS OF GRAVY. Carrots. Fresh ones. The more the better! Chicken thighs. My Grandma used a whole fresh chicken of course, but I had to draw the line somewhere. (The line: cooking a whole chicken kinda scares me. Eep! did I just say that out loud??) Honestly I feel like chicken thighs get the job done just fine. You are welcome to use some breast meat in lieu of a couple thighs, but to get authentic flavor you need at least SOME dark meat. Fresh homemade buttermilk dumplings that take literally 5 minutes to throw together. They are worth it.
Everybody loves comfort food. It’s the absolute best when you’re sick, sad, or lonely, but it’s also delightful for sharing with friends and family and celebrating good times. Grandma Georgia’s Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect comfort food with tender chicken, savory vegetables, fluffy dumplings, and warm gravy. It comes together pretty quickly and has a lot of hands-off time since the crockpot does so much of the work for you. I’ll show you all the steps to getting it right! Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
If you’d prefer to use a whole chicken, just like Grandma did, go for it! You can use the thighs, breasts, and legs in place of the boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you’re in a rush, feel free to grab a bag of baby carrots and use a comparable amount instead of the sliced whole carrots. Already dinnertime? If the slow cooker is no longer an option, feel free to make the stovetop version. Be aware that I posted this a long time ago…that means get ready for the ugly photos (don’t worry, the recipe is still great). The water and Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base can be replaced with 4 cups high quality chicken stock. You can use all butter or all shortening in the dumplings if you want! Or any ratio. You need 6 tablespoons total fat. If you don’t have buttermilk for the dumplings, you can make cheater buttermilk. Start by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a glass measuring cup. Fill it to the 1 and 1/2 cup mark with milk, the higher fat content the better. Stir and let sit 5 minutes, then use like regular buttermilk.
I feel like Chicken and Dumplings is one of those forgotten recipes. Have you ever seen it on a restaurant menu? Maybe you can find it in the south, but I’ve never seen it in California (where both Grandma Georgia and I were born and raised). It’s such a shame because everyone loves this meal. It’s so satisfying. If you have never had Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings, I hope you get to try this recipe out soon! I know you will love it as much as we do! I tested this a number of times and got to serve it to my dad, who I knew would be honest. He said it really tastes just like Grandma Georgia’s. Success! Hooray! Avocado and Grapefruit Salad « a unique and refreshing complement to your dumplings. Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Buca di Beppo) « crunchy, sweet, nutty–I love this one so much! Green Salad with Feta and Beets « no chopping required! Yessss Sea Foam Salad (Creamy Pear Jello) « I mean while we’re making Grandma food…this is a total blast from the past. Mandarin Orange Ambrosia Salad « Did your Grandma make this? This one is kind of, like, more dessert than salad, but just go with it. This recipe doesn’t freeze well. I recommend enjoying it fresh. Invite some friends over! Classic Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie: » I spent years on this recipe! Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Biscuit Topping » basically the same as above, but with flaky biscuits on top instead of pie crust. Mini Chicken Pot Pies (Quick and Easy!) » Now this recipe DOES make use of canned biscuits. Sometimes you just gotta get er done! Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles » it’s not just for sick days. Tex Mex Chicken and Dumplings from Taste and Tell Lemon Chicken and Dumplings from The Noshery
