Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe reminds me of one my gramma used to make.  We always had Sunday dinner at my gramma's house and this was one of my favorite dishes. This is not her actual recipe, but it was still close enough to make me homesick.

Perfect for a cold winters day, this dish firmly falls in the "comfort food" category.  Chicken soup topped with big fluffy dumplings that have steamed to perfection.  You just can't ask for more than that in my opinion.

I live in the South now, and they make their dumplings completely different here.  Totally delicious but totally different. The dumplings here are basically flat, wide pieces of pasta that are cooked inside of the soup so they sort of float around in there.  I also have a recipe for that sort of chicken and dumplings posted on this site but this recipe is the one that brings back memories for me.

Chicken and Dumplings

Recipe from jocooks.com

Ingredients

Dumplings:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp chives, chopped
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Chicken Soup:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded. (Any part of the chicken will work, an assortment of both dark and light meat will add nice flavor)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large dutch oven or stock pot add the oil and then add the carrots, celery and onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the thyme and chicken broth. 
3. In a small dish, whisk together a label full of broth and the flour.  Pour the mixture back into the pot and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. 
4. Add the frozen peas and the shredded chicken. 
5. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer to thicken, while you make the dumplings. 
6. Place all the dumpling ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.  Do not over mix or the dumplings will be too dense. 
7. Dollop the dough onto the soup, keep in mind that the dumplings will double in size. I used a large tablespoon, perhaps 1/4 cup. 
8. Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Do not remove the top to check on them or it'll flatten your dumplings. Test them for doneness by using a toothpick inserted in the middle of the dumpling to come out clean. 

Pork Carnitas

I love it when I find a meal to make where I can utilize my Dutch Oven.  You know it's gonna be good if you break out the Dutch Oven.

Give yourself a little time to make this meal, you won't be sorry.  The meat just falls apart and is SO flavorful.

This was my first attempt at making Pork Carnitas but I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Luckily I found the recipe with enough to get dinner on the table, but that was pure luck.  Allow yourself about 3.5 hours from start to finish.  There aren't a lot of steps and it's very easy to put together.  That slow cooking time is essential for tender meat.

My husband loved this one!

Pork Carnitas

Recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 whole onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 300º, adjust your oven racks so your Dutch Oven will fit in the lower half. 
2. In a Dutch Oven, add all of the ingredients including the used orange halves. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat with the cover off. 
3. Put the cover on and place in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is falls apart when you pull at it with a fork. 
4. Remove from the oven and turn the broiler on. 
5. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and place on a foil lined jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with sides. 
6. Discard everything else that was in the Dutch Oven except for the cooking liquid. 
7. Return the Dutch Oven and the cooking liquid to the stove top and boil on high heat until the liquid thickens and you have about 1 cup of it. 
8. Meanwhile, use two forks to pull eat meat chunk into three pieces.  Place under the broiler and cook until the edges begin to get crisp, then flip the pieces over and follow the same process until that side has begun to crisp as well. 
9. Once the meat has crisped up and the liquid has reduced you can combine them together and serve. 
10. I served mine over brown rice. It is more traditional to serve in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings. 

Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions

I know I've mentioned in the past that I'm not the biggest chicken lover in the world.  I make myself eat it because I don't want to eat red meat all the time.  The secret for me is a gravy or sauce of some kind.

When I saw this recipe online the other day and it was like it was calling to me.  First off, I love dutch oven cooking. Secondly, I love the flavor of vinegar.

The recipe did not disappoint.  It had me at "pancetta". I love pancetta.

It does take a little bit of time to get this recipe on the table but it is SO worth it.  I am in love with this recipe, and that coming from me is high praise.  If you're not a vinegar fan, don't worry, the chicken doesn't have a really strong vinegar flavor. However, all of the flavors combined are out of this world.  The chicken is extremely moist and falling off the bone. The onions and pancetta are remarkable with the chicken, and the vinegar broth puts it over the top for me.  This is one of my new favorites.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions
Recipe from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pearl or cipollini onions
• kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 5 pounds chicken, bone-in, skin-on. Thighs and legs. If using breasts, half them crosswise
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 bay leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Heat some water in a large saucepan, add the onions and boil for 5-8 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut off the root end of the onion and peel off the skin. 
2. Meanwhile, add the oil to a dutch oven and cook the pancetta until it is golden brown.  Use a slotted spoon to remove and put them into a large bowl. 
3. Add the onions to the same dutch oven and brown, about 8-10 minutes. 
4. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic to the same bowl the pancetta is in. 
5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook in the same dutch oven in batches so that all the pieces are golden brown on all sides. 
6. Drain the oil.  Add both vinegars and bring to a boil.  Scrape the brown bits off the bottom.  Add the broth, raisins and bay leaves and all the previously cooked items. (onions, pancetta, garlic and chicken). 
7. Bring back up to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes with the dutch oven partially covered. 
8. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Remove the chicken and them skim the fat off the top of the liquid and serve the chicken with the onions with some liquid poured over the top.