Chicken and Dumplings

The temperatures are falling and and the days are getting shorter. It's comfort food season and what is more cozy and comforting than chicken and dumplings?

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt and pepper to season chicken thighs
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 ribs celery, trimmed and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

For the dumplings (Note 1):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup cold buttermilk

Instructions:

• Place oil in a heavy bottom soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. 
• Brown the chicken in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside (Note 2). 
• Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme to the pot. Stir and saute until the onions are cooked through and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot. Add the bay leaf and chicken stock.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked. While soup is simmering, you can prepare the dumpling dough.
•  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, and pepper. Add the butter and use your fingers to break it down into the flour mixture creating small flecks of butter throughout the mixture. Add the beaten egg and buttermilk and stir until just combined. Try not to over-stir the dumpling dough.
• When the vegetables in the soup are cooked through. Remove the chicken and chop and shred it into bite size pieces. Return the chicken to the pan.
• Bring the soup to a light simmer, stir in the fresh parsley, and season to taste.
• Then, using a spoon to gently dollop about 2 tablespoons of dough into the soup.
• The dumplings may sink, but will rise to the surface as they cook. Add all of the dumplings.
• Cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until dumplings are cooked through. 
• Remove from heat and serve warm!

Notes:

1. Or you can just cheat and use refrigerator or frozen biscuits. Cut 5 biscuits into quarters and drop into the hot soup as directed. 
2. Chicken won't be fully cooked through at this point, but it will cook through while simmering.

Chicken Chili Verde

So I love salsa verde and enchiladas verde, so naturally, I had to make chili verde. Now, I've tried a bunch of chicken white bean chilis that are greenish, but they completely miss the mark for me. Tomatillos are key to anything verde, and this is really easy and delicious.

Chicken Chili Verde

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 lb fresh tomatillo (about 6 -8 large) husksd remove, cored & quartered or 
• 1 large jalapeno
• 1 serrano chili (or chili of your choice depending on how spicy you like it
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans northern white or cannelli beans, drained, rinsed
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• sour cream

Directions

• Add oil to a large pot, like a dutch oven. Over medium heat, sauté chicken, season with salt and cook until no longer pink. You may need to cook in batches. Remove chicken from pot, set aside.
• In a blender, combine tomatillos, peppers, and garlic and and blend until thick & smooth. 
• Add onions into pan with a little more oil, if needed, and sauté until tender
• Add chicken back to pot. Add spices and stir.
• Add the tomatillo mixture, chicken broth and beans to the cooked chicken pieces.
• Simmer for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until desired thickness
• Top cheese and sour cream.

Note: This can very easily be adapted to a crockpot. Just saute the chicken and onions and then put it all in the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Chili and Cornbread Skillet

This recipe is super simple and delicious, the perfect comfort food and quick and easy for a busy, weekday dinner.


Chili and Cornbread Skillet

Chili: 
1 pound sausage (sweet or hot)--I use Jimmy Dean hot sausage
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
2 14.5-ounce can petit diced tomatoes with chilis, drained --I use Rotel
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup jarred salsa

Cornbread:
1 8 1/2-ounce box corn bread mix--I use Jiffy
1 large egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar (4 ounces)

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400° F. 
• In a large oven-safe skillet, over medium heat, cook the sausage, crumbling it with a spoon until fully cooked
• Add the spices and cook for 1 minute. Spoon off and discard any fat.
• Add the beans, tomatoes, and salsa and simmer for 3 minutes
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the corn bread mix, egg, and milk, then stir in the Cheddar.
• Spread the corn bread batter over the top.
• Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

1. You can use your favorite cornbread recipe, I used the boxed Jiffy mix, for convenience.
2. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the chili to a 9-by-9-inch or 11-by-7-inch 2-quart baking dish BEFORE topping with the cornbread mix. 
3. I like things really spicy, and love the smokiness of cumin, however these spices are optional if you can't do the spice. 

Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue

This is a family tradition, especially in Winter around the holidays. It's really fun for a casual gathering or as an appetizer. 

Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ pounds grated Alpine cheeses–¾ pounds Gruyère and ¾ pounds Emmentaler*
• 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 cup dry white wine, I recommend Sauvignon Blanc for its high acidity
• 1 ½ Tbsp Kirsch, also called Kirschwasser, it’s a clear cherry brandy**
• Fresh ground pepper
•  Fresh grated nutmeg

Instructions        

• Rub inside of the fondue pot with the garlic glove, coating the inside. Discard remains of the clove. Light the burner and out the pot in place.***
• Combine the grated cheeses and toss with the cornstarch.
• Add the cheese to the pot in handfuls along with the lemon juice and wine. Slowly stir the cheese as it melts before added more. This takes about 10 minutes. When the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, add the kirsch, pepper and nutmeg.
• Use bread chunks, apples, pears, baby carrots, or cauliflower for dippers.

Notes:

* I recommend equal parts Gruyère and Emmentaler. However, if you want you can add other Alpine cheeses, like Swiss or Comté, or other high-quality firm Alpine cheese. You can use one or any combination. Also, be sure the cheese is grated so it melts easily and doesn't overcook.

**The Kirsch can be omitted, but it is tradition. You could also use try apricot, pear, or apple, if you want.

***If you don’t have a fondue pot you can make the sauce on the stove in a heavy cast iron pot on medium-low heat.

Carbonnade Flamande

Also known as Flemish Stew. This dish is made with beef and beer, with onions and bacon. Really, how could this not taste amazing. I first had this dish when a dear friend of mine took me out to a Belgian restaurant and I fell in love with it. So, of course, I had to add it to my repertoire. It's so flavorful, both tangy and sweet. It's absolutely perfect comfort food!

Carbonnade Flamande

Ingredients

• 2 lb. beef chuck, 1-2" chunks
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Tbsp. flour
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced from top to bottom
• 2 cups Belgian Abbey-style ale
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• Bread, for serving

Instructions

• Season beef with salt and pepper in a bowl; add flour and toss to coat. 
• Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef; cook, turning, until browned. Set aside. 
• Add bacon; cook until fat starts to render.
• Add remaining butter, garlic, and onions; and caramelize. 
• Add half the beer; cook, scraping bottom of pot, about 4 minutes until slightly reduced. 
• Return beef to pot. Add remaining beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, herbs, and additional salt and pepper to taste; bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until beef is tender, about 1-2 hours. 

Serve with crusty bread.

Chicken Paprikash

Here is some definite comfort food that will warm you right up. The spiciness of the paprika and the sweetness of the onions make for a lovely balance.

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (or 2 1/2 pound bone-in thighs and legs, if you prefer)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 large sweet onions (sliced lengthwise)
• black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika (also called Hungarian or Spanish)
• 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• salt (to taste)

Instructions:

• Melt the butter in a large frying pan and brown the chicken in the butter. About 4 minutes each side. Remove from pan
• Add the onions, stirring occasionally, be sure to scrap up any bits from the bottom of pan, about 8 minutes until brown.
• Add pepper and paprika to the onions and stir. Add chicken broth and stir, again getting an bits from the bottom. Place the chicken on top of the onions and simmer another 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees).
• Remove the chicken again and remove pan from the heat. Stir in sour cream to make a creamy sauce. Salt to taste. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with sauce.
• Serve with dumplings, spaetzle, noodles, or potatoes.

I usually make spaetzle to go with this, or egg noodles. Here is my Spaetzle recipe, very simple!

Pepper Steak

There are some recipes your Mom, grandmother, and aunts make that you just can't seem to master. My aunt and my Dad each make a killer Pepper Steak that you would swear was take out from the Chinese restaurant. I haven't mastered it, but I made an attempt and my dinner was quite yummy and I think you'll like it too. Of course, I could just ask for the recipes I guess, but I'm stubborn like that!

Pepper Steak

1 lb steak (sliced thin--see Tips and Tricks below)

2 green peppers, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin strips

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced into thin strips

1 small clove garlic, minced

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ginger

3 Tbsp. corn starch

black pepper

In a wok, or large saute or frying pan, add the sliced steak. Stir for the first few minutes so each slice is separated. Add the onions, stir. Then add the peppers and mushrooms, stir. Cover for 5 minutes to let all the ingredients cook. Uncover, add sauce, and let simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the sauce started to thicken and vegetables are cooked, yet still firm.

Serve over rice.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you put the steak in the freezer for about an hour, it will firm up enough to be able to get those evenly cut, ultra thin slices.
  
  
• Slice the peppers and onions into long strips. It's easier too eat with chopsticks.
  
  
• You can use any kind of rice, however, my absolute favorite for any kind of Asian dish is Thai Jasmine rice. It's an aromatic rice that's just a little sticky. I could eat bowlfuls of stuff.