Dill adds a unique, delicate flavor to recipes. When looking for dill in your grocery store, make sure that the stems and fronds (leaves) are crisp. If you aren’t going to use fresh dill right away, make sure to wrap it in a damp paper towel and store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Fresh dill tends to wilt fairly quickly and will lose much of its flavor after it dries out. Try this recipe for “Chicago style” chicken and dumplings as the weather turns chilly outside.
The first time I encountered “Chicago style” chicken and dumplings I was at first confused, then completely fell in love. This style of chicken and dumplings is more like chicken soup with dill and dumplings added at the very end. As a native Southerner, my only experience with chicken and dumplings had been the kind my mom and grandma made whenever I could convince them to roll out biscuit dough for dinner. I later a married in to my husband’s loud, large, and very kind family from Chicago. My father-in-law makes this throughout the winter and it is now a staple at our house as well.
Chicago Style Chicken and Dumplings
Broth:
- 4 boxes chicken broth (OR boil 1 whole chicken in enough water to cover the entire chicken)
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2-4 Tbsp fresh dill, minced (to taste)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or about 1 Tbsp minced garlic in a jar)
- ½ white onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Dumplings:
- 2 cups flour (whole wheat or white)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk + more to reach sticky consistency
Directions:
- Pour broth in large pot, bring to a boil then add chicken breasts, dill, garlic, and onion
- Boil for approximately 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Remove chicken, allow to cool enough to pull apart then add back to the broth
- For dumplings, in a bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add about ½ cup of milk at a time until the dumplings are sticky and no flour coats the sides of the bowl. Fully incorporate milk each time you add it to the flour.
- Lower heat to medium, make sure that the broth is no longer boiling before you start adding dumplings.
- Dump in 1 heaping Tbsp of dumpling mixture in to the broth, about 5 at a time. The dumplings should rise when they are finished cooking.
- Eat and enjoy!
Note: White flour will require less milk; whole wheat flour may require almost double the amount of milk.
This post brought to you by guest blogger, Shelley Palmer:
Shelley Palmer is a senior Food and Nutrition major at The University of Alabama. She aspires to become a Registered Dietitian working in long term geriatric care. As a military spouse, she has traveled all around the world with her husband. Shelley enjoys making kimchi from scratch, spending time with her dogs, and working as a cook at a Continuing Care Retirement Community.