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Chicken and Dumplings

March 21, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Chicken and Dumplings

Wait, what? Another round of snow? My calendar says it is officially Spring. Oh well, welcome to life in New England. Better make some comfort food for supper!

Chicken and Dumplings is one of those dishes that screams out “Comfort Food!” It is a combination of chunks of chicken and sautéed vegetables served in a broth that has been slightly thickened by square pillows of dough.

The dumplings in and of themselves are a wonder. Quickly mixed and rolled out, the dough is cut into squares and actually cooks in the broth. This creates two things: The broth is thickened and the dumplings take on the broth flavor as they cook.

Chicken and Dumplings

Now, if you do not like doughy things (and are we friends if you don’t?), this may not be the recipe for you. Dumplings are soft thicker noodles. They are tender and have an entirely different texture which contradicts the protein of the chicken and the tooth of the mostly cooked carrots.

Now the chicken. I use tenderloin or tenders, because it is easier. I left mine whole. You can chunk yours up if you want. I wanted easy. Leaving them as is, was easy. That is why you give your eaters forks and knives. They can cut up their own chicken. (I crack myself up).

While this type of meal may not be a regular on our rotation, I think because it isn’t, my family enjoyed it immensely. It is definitely a comfort food for cold winter nights. It is even better the next day, as the dumplings continue to soak up the broth and get bigger and more tender.

The dumplings are the hardest part in that you have to mix and roll out the dough. Technically this can be accomplished in the time you would order, drive through, pay, and pick up your fast food. I’m not joking. Mix, roll, cut.

So, it isn’t like you are giving up a night for this meal. It actually comes together much faster than you would imagine, and you can pat yourself on the back and give yourself a hug for doing something so cool as making your own dumplings. You go thankful table maker, you.

In a world where a little bit of comfort served in a bowl is a small but big gift, I am thankful I could share this recipe with you.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

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Chicken and Dumplings

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

2 Pounds Chicken Tenders
1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1/2 Cup Chopped Onions
24 Ounces of Chicken Broth
1 Package frozen Peas

Dumplings:

2 Cups AP Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Milk

Instructions

In a large pan, saute onions and carrots in a little bit of oil. Sauce until soft.
Remove vegetables and add chicken tenders, cooking until golden brown.
Add carrots, onions, and peas to the pan, add chicken broth and simmer.
In a bowl, combine ingredients for dumplings until combined.
Turn out dumpling dough onto a floured surface and roll until 1/4″ thickness.
Slice dough into 2X2″ squares or larger/smaller if desired.
When broth is simmering, slowly add dumplings to the pan, turning to make sure cooked.
Allow dumplings to cook for approx. ten minutes, serve.

Chicken Supreme

January 24, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Chicken Supreme

Somewhere between the new year resolution to streamline and clean up recipes and the several snow days that have occurred, I have fallen into making the comfort food that goes nicely with shoveling, roof raking, alternating with binge tv watching, reading, and fire enjoying. I’m not going to lie, the gift of a snow day in January is well worth the extra time spent in June when the kids can have recess outside and hopefully, less germs are prevalent. Can you say Strep? Flu? Pink Eye? Common Cold? I work in a Petri dish some days. Good thing my students are super cute. Working with littles has the disadvantage of massive exposure during the cold season.

Chicken Supreme

This recipe is one I called my mother in law for, as it is an oldie but goodie from Pennsylvania. When I asked about it, she told me it was actually the recipe of someone else. I never knew it was actually Jean’s recipe.

This is a church supper, potluck, stick to your ribs meal. It is from an old friend that not only taught me how to quilt better, she added to my perennial garden and my heart garden (the one inside of me). Even though Jean passed many years ago, her life lessons still stay true to my heart.

The Christmas prior to her passing, Jean made everyone in her family a Christmas stocking. They were all quilted and made especially for each person, and they were all BIG.

When I moved home and started over, one of the first things I made for our first Christmas was brand new stockings. I used Jean’s pattern. My stockings are big and full, and my favorite part of holiday shopping.

True to all church pot luck dishes served in a 9×13 pan, this recipe includes cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and stove top stuffing. It is baked in one pan, it is creamy and delicious, and it can be served with a side vegetable or not. I did make a salad to go with, but honestly after a few rounds of shoveling, I wanted chicken and stuffing.

Cut the boneless skinless chicken into good sized chunks and bake in the baking dish. Combine your sauce ingredients, and mix with the baked chicken. Follow the stove top recipe and cover the top of the chicken mixture. Bake until bubbly.

While this is not an every day meal, I can say I will be making this again before the snow days are gone. Sometimes, a little comfort food that is simple and quick to prepare is just the thing.

I always judge the success of a recipe in the amount that gets eaten, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but my children don’t like leftovers. At all. If I have enough left over, I share, because otherwise I will be eating it until I either give up and toss or it is finished.

I am happy to report this recipe fed my family, and not much was left…so I say it’s a good thing.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Chicken Supreme

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

1 Tablespoon Oil
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried Minced Onions or one fresh shallot
16 Ounces of Sour Cream
2 Boxes of Stove Top Stuffing (I used Chicken)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Slice chicken breasts into 1 ½ Inch chunks and place in a 9X13 baking dish.
Coat with Oil, Onion or Shallot, Salt and Pepper.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
Mix Sour Cream with Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup until combined. (You can use just Cream of Chicken Soup if you prefer).
Add Sour cream mixture to Chicken in baking dish.
Follow stuffing directions, and place prepared stuffing on top of the chicken mixture in baking dish.
Place mixture back into oven and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes or until bubbly.

White Chicken Polka-Dot Chili

October 31, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

White Chicken Polka Dot Chili

Some days you want the same consistent thing.

And, some days, you want more.

That is life; and that is how I am with my white chicken chili. The chunk haters, the tomato haters, the crumbly haters be darned…or can at least appeased while I get the flavor I want. I need more, I need different, and this is a nice spin on a classic.

Like when you play your playlist on shuffle…and suddenly that one song from long ago starts, and you think, “Oh yeah, I remember this song…Great song.” Suddenly you are 17, in your new-to-you-car, driving down the backroads of Connecticut and invincible.

Or, insert your young and carefree moment here.

Will this soup be the elixir to youth? Probably not, but its a nice way to mix up a stand-by in my house. Let’s face it folks, it’s almost winter. We need to keep the crock pot and soup recipes a-coming.

Using the crock pot means you throw the ingredients in, and walk away. That works for me as well. Because I have someone in my life who hates chunks of tomatoes specifically, I added the tomatoes with chipotle for this chili at the onset of cooking and then blended the ingredients prior to adding the beans. In truth, this chili is actually a really pretty light pinky peach color because of the tomatoes, but I thought calling this chili pink-polka dot chili a bit much. (Though in my head, that is what I call this).

Chili Ingredients

I also mixed up the beans (cannellini and black) to add a little more visual pop and flavor as well as texture. I added the beans at the end of the cooking, to avoid mushy consistency. I also added both cream cheese and with cheddar cheese to boost the creaminess as well as the flavor. I was very pleased with the end results.

So, RoTel tomatoes with chipotle…I saw these in my international aisle and thought, “Well hey.” If you want to add regular diced tomatoes that will do as well. I also added the green chiles and liked the flavor that resulted. I did use an immersion blender to break the chicken down as well as decimate the tomatoes, carrots, and chiles.

White Chicken Polka Dot Chili

The chipotle flavor is smokey and rich without burning your tastebuds. You get the warmth of spice without heat. You can add to the heat factor, it’s your chili.

Now, to serve. I treated this chili like a taco bar and put out fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream, additional cheddar cheese, and even diced lettuce, though I had no takers on the lettuce. I also served this up with super fresh salty tortilla chips, because, essentially soup is dip but better.

Can you feel the awesomeness of this recipe yet?

Another perk, it is not one of those soups that separates out and gets all icky the next day. My containers for lunch look fantastic. The cream cheese holds some sort of magic in it’s ability to hold the suspension. I’m so in love with a soup that is better the next day.

Oh, that everything would be better the next day. Like the coffee you forgot in the microwave, or the leftovers from that breakfast place. Just not as good after the fact.

Well, If pink and polka dotted soup doesn’t make you smile, maybe my apple cinnamon rolls will. But I am perfectly content with my circa 1990’s playlist, and a bowl of this deliciousness.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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White Chicken Polka-Dot Chili

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White chicken chili with a smoky chipotle kick and the pop of black bean color!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Chicken Breasts

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

1 10 ounce can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle

1 4 ounce can Green Diced Chiles

1/3 Cup Shredded Carrots

2 Tablespoon Better Than Boullion Chicken Flavor

32 Ounces of Chicken Stock

4 Cups White Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 8 Ounce Package of Cream Cheese

3 Cans White Cannelini Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 Can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)

Instructions

In a crock pot, place chicken breasts, garlic, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, shredded carrots.
Cover with chicken stock and cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on crockpot.
When chicken is fork tender and pulls apart, either shred chicken or use an immersion blender to make smooth consistency (as smooth as you choose).
Add cubed cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and beans to soup mix.
Continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and beans are warmed through.
Serve with fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream, additional cheddar cheese or whatever you desire!

Chicken Tenderloins with Wilted Cherry Tomatoes and Baby Spinach

September 11, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Chicken Tenderloins with Cherry Tomatoes and Wilted Baby Spinach

The school year is back into full swing, sports schedules are busy, this blog post was supposed to be finished this morning, and oh wait, I still need to feed my family. While I typically prep meals for the week on Sunday, I plan ahead through Wednesday and plan on the remainder of the week being leftovers, or quick meals such as this one.

One pan, small ingredient list, simple on its own or over pasta or with a side of rice. That’s the type of supper that works in our house.

Now, this can be jazzed up with small pieces of fresh mozzarella, or with a cream sauce, additional vegetables, or even finely minced garlic. However, this meal is, as I said, simple. There is a beauty to such a meal on a Monday night, say after a long day of work after an already busy weekend, and a first field hockey game of the season. Not drive through easy, but way more healthy and absolutely more delicious. Also, the leftovers can be tossed into a salad for lunch tomorrow.

For this recipe, I had 1-2 pounds of chicken tenderloins, rinsed and patted dry. Salt and pepper chick while pan is heating over medium heat. In a large frypan (mine is actually wok shaped with a flat bottom…one of the best pans I own) a little olive oil – and saute the tenderloins until browned. When done, toss in a handful of cherry tomatoes (as much or as little as you want) and let cook for a few minutes until wilted. Throw in two cups of baby spinach and toss until wilted.

At this point, you can add baby fresh mozzarella, basil, Alfredo sauce, whatever you choose to spice things up. My family prefers this as is, with angel hair pasta on the side. A salad, and you are good to go. If you are adding in the extra carbs, a soft loaf of crusty Italian bread would be magical.

chicken tenderloin with cherry tomatoes

Not every recipe needs to be complicated in order to be delicious. Like in life, sometimes less is more. Be it items on the to do list, loads of laundry to complete, personalities of the people around you, or supper ingredients. You get the picture.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

click below for printable recipe

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Chicken Tenderloins with Wilted Cherry Tomatoes and Baby Spinach

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Simple chicken tenderloins sauted with cherry tomatoes and wilted baby spinach! Delicious and easy.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

1–2 pounds chicken tenderloins, washed and patted dry
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1–2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes
2 Cups Baby Spinach

Instructions

In a good sized fry pan, saute chicken tenderloins in olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste (at this point you could add any seasoning you would like)
Saute until golden brown.
Add cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until they start to wilt.
Add baby spinach, and toss with chicken to wilt.
Serve