Comfort Food . . . Chicken and Dumplings

One of the winter time staples in our kitchen growing up was Chicken and Dumplings. I can still see my mother standing at the kitchen counter, flour covering the work space, rolling out homemade dough for the dumplings. It was one of my father's favorite meals and pretty near the top of my list, too. Until recently I had never prepared this all-time best ever comfort food for my boys. I know, my grandmother is rolling over in her grave! I broke down the other day and let me say, it was a huge hit. The middle son, who happens to be a bit picky, had three bowl fulls! Success!

I have to confess that I did not make the dumplings from scratch. Sorry Mom. I did, however, use something near and dear to my heart. I used Mary Hill Dumplings which you can find in the freezer section and, most importantly, are made in my very own, small hometown! So cool! It makes me feel like they're practically homemade! This is what you look for in the freezer section of the grocery:

And, here's how to whip up this warm and comforting Southern staple for yourself!

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
2 tablespoons flour, a handful
1 quart chicken broth or stock
1 package frozen dumplings (I used Mary Hill Dumplings, but there are others out there)
1/2 cup warm water
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas

Directions
Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Follow the directions on the frozen dumplings. Basically, when the mixture begins to boil, separate frozen dumplings and place in the pot, one at a time, stirring carefully. Continue until all the dumplings have been added and have all gotten soft.
Add the frozen peas and chopped parsley.
Let cook at medium heat until peas are soft.

That's it! So easy and so good!

This is what the dumplings look like in the package.