Seasonal Go To Foods

 

Seasonal Go To Foods

Yay! It's beginning to look much like fall- all vegetation is changing colors.

Temperatures are beginning to cool down. Finally, we're getting a much needed break. From the sweltering, humid heat. What a true blessing! 

I don't know about y'all but lately I'm craving comfort Foods.

However, not just any old fashioned comfort food will do. 

I want dumplings, in a thick creamy sauce. Made Home-Style!

Made my way!

Yes, seasons change. And as they do, so does our needs for warm, delicious comfort Foods. So today I will be sharing a few of my personal favorite Comfort Food Recipes.

Yes, today I will be making a Home-Style Chicken Pot Pie & my Deep South Thick & Creamy Chicken & Dumplings. And it doesn't get much southern than that!

So without further ado… 

Home-Style Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken or about 8 chicken thighs (chicken breast can be optional… just use your favorite)

• 6-8 cups of Vegetable /chicken stock- or water

• 2 stalks of celery

• 1 ½ chopped carrots

• 1 ½ cup whole kernel corn

• ½ cup green beans

• ½ cup sweet peas

• 1 large onion chopped

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1 Tablespoon seasoning salt

• 1 Tablespoon of cracked black pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 2 Tablespoons of self rising flour

Instructions:

In a large pan, add the chicken, stock or water. On a range top, Cook on high/medium heat for close to 20 minutes. Then lower the heat to a simmer. (At this point more liquid stock may need to be added in.) Finish cooking the chicken slowly, for about another 40 minutes. Add in more liquid along the way- if needed.

Next, chop celery, potatoes, carrots and onion in nice bite sized bits. Set aside. 

Once the chicken is cooked, falling almost off of the bones… take each piece of chicken out of the broth, as well as any chicken bones, skin that may be in the broth. Place in a separate plate/bowl, etc… set aside.

Now, add 2 Tablespoons of flour to the broth. Add  all the seasonings, and more liquid broth as needed. The broth will thicken up, almost like when you are making gravy. Once at that stage- turn heat down to a slow simmer.

Chop the chicken into bite sized bits. Then add chicken bites into the broth/gravy mixture.

Next add all the chopped veggies, and all the seasonings into the broth.

Cook until potatoes, carrots are fork tender.

Now, at this point add a layer of your favorite canned biscuits, or homemade biscuits on top of the chicken stew. Top your pan with a lid. Let the heat & steam cook the biscuit dough. Usually, it will take cl
ose to 20-30 minutes more cooking time before the dough has cooked through. 

This is a one pot, full course meal y'all!

Serve in bowls, or on plates. Then dig in and enjoy!

Note: I normally make this in my crockpot. And if you want to do the same. Just cook the chicken first, then chop it up. Set the Crock-Pot temperature to around medium. In the crock pot add the flour first, stir in the broth, then add all other ingredients- except for the biscuits. Add the biscuits always towards the end time of cooking. 

I cook almost everything in my crock-pot. I love being able to do other things while I have my meals slow cooking.

You can also- if you'd rather… make this in an instant pot for faster cooking.

Deep South Thick & Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

Before telling y'all the list of ingredients- I want to say. I'm not going through the entire steps of cooking the chicken again… follow those steps from my Home-style Chicken Pot Pie (from above recipe) … Basically following all the same steps- omitting the potatoes, green beans & sweet peas ( Unless you prefer to add those ingredients in.) 

Ingredients:

• About 8 pieces of chicken cooked and chopped up, into bite sized bits.

• 5-6 cups broth or water

• 2 stalks of celery

• 4-6 chopped 🥕

• 1 onion chopped

• 2 Tablespoons of seasoning salt

• 2 Tablespoons of cracked black pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon parsley chopped

• 1 can of Pet milk, or any type of your favorite milk.

• 3 Tablespoons of flour for gravy thickening

• 1 can of  cream of chicken soup

For the dumplings you'll need:

• About 3-4 cups self rising flour

• ½ cup canola oil

• About 2 cups water

(I always kinda mix these ingredients as I go- I  sometimes make more dumplings than I do at other times.)

Follow the same steps as I did making my chicken pot pie. You'll need a large stew pot.

Once chicken is cooked & chopped up- add the 3 Tablespoons of flour into the broth. Stir in well. Next add all the veggies and seasonings into the broth. Stir well. Add in the chicken, can of cream of chicken soup, and the milk. Again, stir well. Let simmer on low to medium heat.

So before we start on mixing the dough for the dumplings- I'd like to add… you may not want to make up as many dumplings, as my recipe calls for. So half  the ingredients, to make less. 

Instructions for making the dumplings:

Now Combine flour, oil and water and mix until smooth. Your dough should be the same consistency as it would be as if you were making homemade biscuits.

And if you'd like to skip this step, and go easy… you can absolutely use canned biscuits instead. Just cut them in smaller pieces, with kitchen scissors. Then follow the last few steps of my recipe. Easy peasy!

You can take the time and roll the dough out on a floured surface. Then cut the dough into either thin or thick rectangular shapes. Or you can just drop the dough in the pan with your creamy, thick chicken stew.

But first, Bring broth to a boil and  then add dumplings. The dumplings will drop to the bottom. Then rise and plump up when they are cooked.

You'll know when your dumplings are cooked once they do this.

I normally let my Deep South, Thick & Creamy Chicken & Dumplings simmer on low for a while after… I like my gravy to really thicken. And at this point you may want to add in more milk or broth. However, I prefer mine thick.