Happy Thanksgiving week!!

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is almost here, but as much as I am sad about how fast time is FLYING, I am also SO excited! First off, my dad brought in my Christmas trees (yes, plural) over the weekend. Both are nowhere near perfect, but I love them. Of course, I’ve only had time to string lights, but I’m hoping they will get decorated this week…

You know… in between the turkey making and pie eating.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, are you guys ready? I am so not. In fact, I am planning to do everything on Thursday, which is probably the worst possible idea ever. Like do not be stupid like me and do this. It’s just, time is not on my side and Monday-Wednesday are kind of jam-packed, so Thursday it is!

Is it weird that I am actually looking forward to cooking Thanksgiving? Like Thanksgiving stresses me out less than any typical “working” day in the kitchen. I mean, it’s just family, and there’s no stress of recipe testing and photo taking. So it’s actually a bit of a break for me… in some ways. Of course, you know I will be scrambling in the hour leading up to dinner, but that’s just tradition, right?

Also, we are still undecided as to where the family will actually be eating Thanksgiving Dinner. Preferably we would (and maybe will) eat at my parents house, BUT my parents still have a broken oven. This means that the entire meal would need to be cooked at my house and then transported to their house. Sounds like a giant pain…like are we just asking for trouble or what? I think so.

The other option is to eat at my house, but my house is tiny and I currently don’t have a table big enough for everyone. So yeah, still trying to figure that one out. Should be interesting, I’ll keep you posted!

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestChicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

But enough about random holiday stuff, lets talk about dinner! Did you guys forget that we need to eat on these days leading up to Thanksgiving? I heard some people start to fast a day before, but um, that is SO not for me.

I like dinner. I like food. So we shall eat extra good food on these days leading up to THE BIG day.

Today I am actually sharing an incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, recipe from my friend Adrianna Adarme’s new book The Year of Cozy. If you are unfamiliar of Adrianna and her blog A Cozy Kitchen you should probably head on over and check her out (but after you get this KILLER recipe of course). She is kind of amazing and everything she does is perfection in my eyes. Her book is no exception. It’s full of 125 amazing recipes, crafts and other homemade goodies that will have you feeling cozy all year…which you know I obviously love!!

There are so many great ideas in her book, choosing just one to show you guys was rather difficult.

BUT, I just had a really good feeling about this Chicken and Dumplings recipe (I was so right!). I also felt like the week of Thanksgiving, was the perfect time to share it.

I mean, if there was ever a time for cozy food, it’s now!

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestChicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

This recipe is so simple and I love Adrianna’s trick of using a store-bought rotisserie chicken to keep things simple and delicious! I think this was actually my first time buying a rotisserie chicken, but it will not be the last!

You can also make great use of the chicken carcass (I know, eww, but it makes for delicious broth) with this recipe too! So not only is this an easy, no fuss, under an hour meal, it’s also a friendly on the budget meal too! Yes!! Double yes, since my grocery bill this week was astronomical!

YIKES.

Feeding a lot of people really adds up!

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Anyway, I plan to make this again tomorrow. For one, my entire family – or at least the ones that are currently here, loved this meal. Two, all the holiday guests will be arriving and I could not think of a better (or easier) meal to serve.

It’s kind of perfect.

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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4.14 from 68 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Chicken and Dumplings.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, dumplings

An incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, recipe 

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 420 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small shallot finely chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery finely chopped
  • 4 carrots finely chopped
  • 2 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 quart filtered water 4 cups, or low sodium chicken broth for more flavor
  • 1 quart low sodium chicken broth 4 cups
  • 1 cups rotisserie chicken - 2 shredded chicken/carcass reserved for broth
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • parmesan for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium soup pot, set over medium heat, heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the shallot, celery and carrots. Next, mix in the fresh thyme sprigs. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
  2. Pour in the water and chicken broth. Place the chicken carcass (shredded chicken removed) in the center of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until very fragrant.
  3. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined.
  4. Remove the carcass from the broth water and discard. At this time the broth should be flavorful and fragrant. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings according to your liking. I added a heavy pinch of salt. Depending on the rotisserie chicken you're using, you may need to skim the top of the broth to remove some of the fat. Adrianna (and I) prefer to leave the fat, as it adds great flavor!
  5. Bring the broth to a medium boil. Drop a heaping tablespoon of the dough into the boiling point (the extreme heat from the bubbling point reacts with the baking powder in the dough to create a really fluffy dumpling). Continue until you've worked your way through all the dough. You should end up with 10-12 dumplings. Cover the pot so the dumplings can cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Carefully move the dumplings aside and slide the shredded chicken into the broth and allow to heat. Next, divide the dumplings and broth between 4 bowls and serve with a sprinkle of black pepper and parmesan cheese (if desired)

Recipe Notes

*Adapted with permission from [The Year Of Cozy | http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Cozy-Homemade-Adventures/dp/1623365104] by Adrianna Adarme.

Chicken and Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

But seriously, grab a big sweater, some PJ’s and cozy up to this chicken and dumplings tonight. You will not regret it.

P.S. I know that sounds like an advertisement and is so cheesy, but it’s true… and you know it’s what you REALLY want to do tonight! <–Truth.