Snow Day Chicken 'n Dumplings

Along with most of the Northeast, we were bracing for an historic storm. By all accounts, a blizzard was coming that intended to dump two, if not three, feet of snow on our laps. Yes, feet. Ugh. The governor imposed a travel ban, school was canceled, and we hit the grocery store (so many empty shelves!) for a couple days' worth of supplies. We were ready.

These cold, dark, snowy days are the the ideal time for classic comfort foods - roasts, braises, stews, carbs. How about all of the above? In the last couple of weeks we've made two whole chickens, one braised, one roasted, and put the leftovers in the freezer. We had onions, carrots, celery, stock, all the makings for a soup or a stew, or a pot pie, or...something different? Then we thought about chicken 'n dumplings. Is it weird that Amy's never had chicken 'n dumplings? It seems like the kind of comfort food classic that one should have tried before their 40s. So that answered that - we're making chicken 'n dumplings!

Chicken pot pie is our normal go-to when we have leftover chicken, so we started by making a version of our pot pie recipe as a base. We made it thinner than pot pie (less flour, no milk), but thicker than a soup, so we guess, more like a chicken stew. Then we grabbed some biscuit mix and milk and made a soft dough which we dropped onto the top of the stew and cooked. The biscuits puffed up like marshmallows and floated on top of the stew. A couple of minutes under the broiler made them nice and brown. 

We got about 20 inches of snow and we enjoyed making this recipe - hot, delicious, and cozy - perfect for a snow day. Or two. Tee hee!

Snow Day Chicken 'n Dumplings

Ingredients:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds

3 cups chicken stock

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces

1 cup pancake mix (such as Bisquick)

1/3 cup milk

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring, until golden. Add onion and celery, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables are translucent. In the meantime, steam the carrots in a separate pot. Add the cooked carrots, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Stir in chicken. In a small bowl, mix pancake mix and milk until it forms a soft dough. Place spoonfuls of dough on top of (not in) the chicken mixture. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Cover, then cook another 10 minutes. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown if desired.