
As I craved chicken and dumplings, I searched for a website that was meant to serve one person. Unfortunately, none of them pleased me. So, I found a website called tasty(dot)co, while searching for creamy chicken and dumplings. They call it “Cozy Chicken and Dumplings.”
If you go on the website, you will find the list of ingredients as well as the instructions. I, however, made mine different. Here is what I did:
1: I used half milk products (including heavy cream) and half the chicken broth
I did not do this on purpose, though. I wanted to use the amount of chicken broth it called for, which is 6 cups. But I only had 3 cups of chicken broth available in my house.
That being said, it made the soup creamier, which I wanted anyway. In fact, I believe this turned out better for my taste.
While ratios often matter in cooking, in this case, they don’t have to.
2: Using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts
I ordered both chicken thighs and breasts from Whole Foods via Amazon to deliver to my home. However, they had run out of the latter, so I only received the thighs.
But I prefer thighs over breasts anyway, since they have more moisture. I have always favored moist meat over traditional white meat since it can dry out easily.
I also sauteed the chicken in olive oil instead of vegetable oil for healthier benefits. Not only that, I did not cook the meat all the way. That gave it time to cook in the soup, thus resulting in a moister texture.
3: Adding other vegetables than what the recipe lists
The recipe only lists peas and carrots as well as yellow onions. But i wanted more than that, so I added the following:
- Corn
- Celery
- Mixed root vegetables, like parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions
- Broccoli
Since I’ve always been picky about things having varieties, I chose to add more veggies.
When I prepared the dumplings, the soup ended up becoming a stew due to the dumplings expanding. Yet, the result turned out delicious.
Thoughts
Regardless of what I changed when preparing my version of the chicken and dumplings, I still followed many of the other steps the way they were written.
The dry thyme gives it a comforting flavor as do the bay leaves, which you should remove once the soup is done.
I also used the exact amount of salt that the recipe called for. Of course, I followed the dumpling recipe as written (but left out the black pepper).
Overall, this recipe pleased me and I would love to return to making this version of chicken and dumplings again.
Rating
I would give this recipe 5 out of 5 stars.
What is your favorite way to make chicken and dumplings? Do you like to follow the recipes as written, or make your own creative changes to your versions?
I make chicken and dumplings the southern way. With the spoons of dough mix dropped in the boiling stew. My kids love it. I would love to try this recipe. I went to TASTY and I think I found the recipe you were talking about.
Awesome. Good luck with it.