We'll Be Having Chicken and Dumplings When She Comes

I was talking to Deanna a few days ago and she was making chicken and dumplings. She had lost Grandma Stockam's recipe and so had tried something from the Internet that didn't work out so well. After several trials she realized that her baking powder had gone flat. Well, this got me to thinking about chicken and dumplings. I haven't made them for a long time. I am thinking I haven't made them for over 13 years. The last time I made chicken and dumplings there was an incident and we just never got our appetite back for them even though this was one of our favorite meals in the past. The last time I made them everything turned out perfect. The dumplings were light and fluffy and that is the trick with this dish. The only problem was that when we started eating John noticed the little worms in the dumplings. Evidently, I bought flour with weevils and had not noticed. We had to throw the whole pot away and no one was hungry for chicken and dumplings again. The very thought just made us sick because before John noticed the weevils everyone else had eaten several spoons full.

When I decided to make the dish today I put aside the old memory. Joe had never had the memory because he wasn't born yet. So when Bob asked if it had been long enough since the incident to have chicken and dumplings, Joe just asked, "What incident?" He really liked dinner tonight and I can tell that it will be one of his favorites.

This was my basic recipe:

2 quarts chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 celery stalks cut into chunks
1 onion diced
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Put all of this into a large pot and gently boil for about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool. Reduce the heat on the soup to a simmer. Mix a 7 oz package of Bisquick according to package directions. Drop by teaspoon full into the simmering (not boiling) soup. Cover the pot and start the timer for 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid! This is the most important information. If you remove the lid and, or boil the dumplings you will get little tough dough lumps. While the dumplings are steaming, shred the chicken. Add the chicken back when the dumplings are done. If the dumplings seem a little undercooked just turn off the burner and put the lid back on for 5 minutes. You can add parsley or other herbs to the Bisquick dough. I usually wait until the end to add salt and pepper.

I decided to use the Bisquick mix as opposed to making my own for a variety of reasons but I think I was thinking that there was a less likelihood of a bug infestation. Call me paranoid, I just don't ever want another maggot in the soup again.

Now is the part where we all shout Hallelujah! I think I will make this several times a year now that I have overcome.