Chicken and Dumplings

My husband’s favorite meal is chicken and dumplings.  Before my diet. I made it for him frequently.  Shortly after starting the diet I gave it a try and it was a spectacular failure… Yuck! So, occasionally I have made it for him the old way and had something else for myself….  The trouble is, I liked it too.  So, when he asked for it this time, I was determined to figure it out so that we could all enjoy it.  It took some work as we like the Betty Crocker recipe made with Bisquick – which is really simple to make, if you don’t need to make all the ingredients first.  I needed to figure out how to make Bisquick mix and chicken gravy mix in order to make it turn out right.  But, as a result I can now make other things that were previously unavailable – like Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, strawberry shortcake, or any number of other Bisquick recipes.  I can also make quick gravies, which has been something I was missing… so make up a lot of the mixes and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bisquick Mix

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp salt

1 cup butter

1. Sift dry ingredients together
2. cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly and sticks together.
3. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. (original recipe – included shortening- said up to 4 months, I do not know how long this recipe will last)
4. Use to replace Bisquick in any Bisquick recipe

 

Chicken Gravy Mix

3 tbsp chicken bullion

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp thyme

1/4 cup cornstarch

1. Using a mortar and pestle grind all spices together into a fine powder.
2. Add chicken bullion and cornstarch, mix well
3. Use 1/4 cup to replace 1 package of chicken gravy.

To make brown gravy replace the chicken bullion with beef bullion

 

Chicken and Dumplings

1 lb chicken cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tbsp oil

1  3/4 cups water

1 cup milk

1/4 cup chicken gravy mix

3/4 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp salt

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower

 

Dumpling ingredients

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

(to be prepared at step 4) using a fork combine Bisquick and milk until they are both well incorporated.  This will make a very sticky mixture.

1. In a large saucepan, brown chicken in oil, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides.
2. Add milk, water marjoram and gravy mix, stir until combined.
3. Add frozen vegetables and mix well.
4. Begin preparing dumplings, when mixture begins to boil reduce heat to a low, give it one last stir and begin dropping dumpling mixture, by spoonfuls over the chicken mixture.
5. Cook uncovered 10 minutes
6. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes
7. Enjoy!

 

 

---