Can you believe that we are almost at the end of February and we have had little to no snow in the Boston area? Normally, we are making soups and stews for that "warm me up meal" at the end of a cold winter day. Today it was 51 degrees.
About a month ago, my mother-in-law received her monthly copy of Family Circle magazine and it took about a week before it finally made it's way over to her apartment. While we were doing a quick browse through, we found this great chicken and dumpling recipe that was made with fresh dill. We knew that this would be on our list of dinners for the week.
The recipe was very easy to make and the combination of carrots, celery and leeks created an incredibly tasty sauce for the chicken and dumplings. Instead of this being that "warm me up" meal, all I could think of was summer and fresh dill from our garden. The dill complemented the meal but the best was the flavor in the dumplings.
Almost everyone was home that night, so this recipe easily fed our 6 appetites. There were no leftovers and everyone was talking about how much they liked the dill flavored dumplings. This is definitely a keeper. The biggest request - will you please make it again?
Ever since we made this dish, I keep wishing for winter to be over and spring to begin. I'm craving the fresh chives, basil and oregano from our garden...and I'm really missing our tomatoes. Is anyone else tired of eating rubbery tomatoes?
If you are looking for a dish with a fresh garden flavor, grab some leeks and a fresh bunch of dill...spring is in the air! (Adapted from Family Circle's Chicken and Dumplings)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds of boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, trimmed and diced
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of flour
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
Dumplings:
2 cups of biscuit mix (such as Bisquick)
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill
Preparation:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Salt and pepper the chicken and place in skillet. Cook until slightly browned, 2-3 minutes each side.
3. Add 4 cups water, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Simmer 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from liquid (save liquid) and let cool.
5. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
6. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and leek. Cook 5 minutes or until softened.
7. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3 minutes, add broth and 2 cups of the left-over chicken broth.
8. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Stir in chopped chicken.
9. Start making dumplings: in a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix, milk and dill.
10. Drop by tablespoonfuls into simmering liquid. Cover pot tightly; cook 10 minutes.
11. Uncover and gently stir in peas and chopped dill.
Yum, Yum, Yum...enjoy!
