There is not much I like about winter. It’s cold and my body (my joints, my skin, my internal organs…and the ends of my hair) really does not enjoy the cold. But, being a silver linings sort of girl, every single winter I tell myself I’m going to find something, anything, about the season to be grateful for. Of course, that includes the fact that I have heat in my home and heated seats in my car (and remote start…has there ever been a better invention???). And I like to read when I’m cozy under a blanket. And Christmas is, without a doubt, one of my favorite things about winter. But what I’ve never appreciated in the past, and I vowed to do this year, is comfort foods. Which is why it was so perfect that we chose Delaware this week, and I made Chicken and Dumplings.
Delaware is One of the Country’s Top Producers of Poultry
We have a beach house in Ocean City, Maryland, and in our travels to get to it from Jersey, we pass chicken farms in Delaware. A LOT of chicken farms. Delaware ranks #7 in the country for producing poultry—which is interesting because it is one of the smallest states. So it makes sense that one of their iconic foods would include chicken. Delaware has a lot of foods associated with their state…some that we’ve tried, like Thrasher’s Fries, and some that I’m pretty sure I never want to try, like scrapple. For our Delaware meal, I really wanted a hearty meal…something of a comfort food. And chicken and dumplings were perfect for that. But…
The Fam is NOT a Fan of Chicken
I wasn’t sure how they would react to a chicken meal. There are VERY FEW chicken meals that everyone will eat and not complain about. Actually, there is only one…chicken wings. And even then, half of us prefer boneless over bone-in wings, so that’s a pain in itself. Nevertheless, I figured at least the chicken and the other ingredients in this recipe were relatively cheap. AND the recipe was a crock pot recipe, so I wouldn’t have wasted much time or effort if they didn’t like it.
Chicken and Dumplings in 5 Steps
- First, you chop up the onions. (As you may recall, I’m not a big onion fan, but I persevered by telling myself that this would be the most difficult part of the recipe. I did NOT call Hubby to chop it for me. Be proud of me. Applause is welcome.) Layer the bottom of the crock pot with the onions and add the chicken breasts:
- Mix the cream of celery, cream of chicken, pepper, and Barnegat Bay seasoning in a bowl:
***FYI, Barnegat Bay Seasoning is available from Savory Spice Shop online. However, any poultry rub will do. - Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Defrost frozen peas and carrots. After the chicken has cooked 4 hours, add the peas and carrots on top. (I think corn would also be a great addition!)
- Roll out Grands biscuits and cut into 4 slices each. Layer these on top of the peas, carrot, and chicken, and cook for an additional hour to hour and a half:
***Right before you serve this, break up the chicken—it may fall apart on its own, but shred it a little more so everyone can get chicken in their bowl.
And There You Have It
It was a super simple meal that was PERFECT for a 30 degree night. We spooned it out into bowls and all sat down in front of the NFL playoff game that was on. Everyone enjoyed it. I personally thought it paired well with a white wine and that it was very filling (although Child #1 made himself a sandwich less than an hour later…). I definitely think we will add this one to our rotation of comfort meals for the winter. It was so super easy and tasty—you should absolutely give these chicken and dumplings a try.
1 medium onion
1 1/2-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken (condensed)
1 can of cream of celery (condensed)
1 TBSP Barnegat Bay or other poultry seasoning
1/2 TBSP pepper
2 c. frozen peas and carrots
1 can of Grands Buttermilk biscuits