I am having a serious love affair with my new Crock Pot. I came home last night to find that some lovely person has made me dinner after a looong day. Only I am that lovely person. But I like to pretend I have a little dinner fairy on my side.
This recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook. I must admit that I was intimidated by the long list of ingredients when I first saw it. I need not be. Monday night, I chopped a few veggies and some chicken and threw it into the pot. Tuesday morning I fired her up. When I got home, it was just a matter of adding a bit of cornstarch for thickening (you could easily skip this if you don't mind it being more soup-like) and whipping up the cornbread dumplings (which takes all of 5 minutes). I threw the dumplings in and reset the timer for 25 minutes.
It was really good! In fact, Kiddo ate two whole bowls. Unheard of. Recipes like this remind me why meal planning/slow cooker-usage should be a regular part of my life.
The only thing I would do differently is to taste it prior to dropping in the dumplings. That's a good point to add in more salt and pepper. We salted it a tad after it was bowled up, which was fine, but I'll do it differently next time. Also, since Jared was partaking, I made it dairy-free (as usual). I substituted soy milk and Earth Balance for the milk and butter and omitted the 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese that usually goes in the dumpling mix. For you cheese-loving, allergy-free folks, use the real thing you lucky ducks!
Ingredients:
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 large onion, diced roughly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
1. In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker combine the carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, sage and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Place chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk broth into soup and pour this mixture over the chicken.
4. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hour (I did 9 hours on low because we were going to be home late).
5. Turn slow cooker to high heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into stew until combined.
6. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine egg, milk and melted butter (+ cheese, if you're using it). Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
7. Use 2 spoons to drop dough directly on top of stew. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Do not lift the cover while the dumplings are cooking.
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 large onion, diced roughly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
1. In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker combine the carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, sage and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Place chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk broth into soup and pour this mixture over the chicken.
4. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hour (I did 9 hours on low because we were going to be home late).
5. Turn slow cooker to high heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into stew until combined.
6. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine egg, milk and melted butter (+ cheese, if you're using it). Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
7. Use 2 spoons to drop dough directly on top of stew. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Do not lift the cover while the dumplings are cooking.
When I think of comfort food, chicken and dumplings is at the top of my list. This recipe definitely fit the bill.
Enjoy!
