Chicken and Dumplings (Redneck Penicillin)

    Ahhhhh! The weather in Texas is FINALLY going to start heading for the cooler side of blazing hot. What's the cooler side, you might ask? Oh, about 88 degrees... but I'm certainly not complaining. So this got my brain to turning on cold weather, and what I'd like to be eating when it does get here.... sometime next month.

    One of the iconic dishes I grew up having in winter, was chicken and dumplings. Now my grandmother, for whatever reason, didn't use a real dumpling for hers. Instead she used something akin to an egg noodle, that while tasty, lacked something in the texture and flavor departments. Well I have adapted this recipe to reflect the flavors I like, and I think that you will too! You can see me cook it here!

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 2-3 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 1/2 T. olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped to about 1/2" cubed
• 2 large carrots, chopped to about 1/2" cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen peas
• For the Dumplings:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 T. vegetable or canola oil

Instructions

1. Place the chicken broth, water, and chicken breasts in a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring the liquid to a boil, and boil until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred it with two forks. Set the chicken aside and keep the broth warm on the stove.
2. While the chicken is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. 
3. Once the chicken has been removed from the broth, add the cooked vegetables to the broth, along with the salt, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine, and bring the broth to a simmer.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the cold water and the flour. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking constantly until well combined. 
5. Add the peas and the reserved chicken to the pot, and stir for 1 minute.
6. To make the dumplings, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and thyme in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the sour cream, milk, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
7. Heat the soup to boiling and drop teaspoons of the dumpling dough on top of the soup in a single layer.
8. When they are done, stir the soup gently to break up the dumplings. Serve hot.