½ cup heavy cream, 6 flour tortillas (or 5 rounds of raw biscuit dough)
Cut 6 flour tortillas into strips (or cut 5 biscuit dough into small pieces)
Rough chop onion, celery and carrots; slice garlic cloves in half; set aside
½ large sweet yellow onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 2 cloves garlic
Cook the Chicken and Broth
Add thawed raw chicken, onion, celery, garlic, carrots, Bouquet Garni, bay leaves, salt and pepper to a large stockpot; add enough water or broth to cover the ingredients; cook on medium high until chicken is no longer pink and reaches 165°FIf you're using a deli/rotisserie chicken and/or canned broth, SEE RECIPE NOTES BELOW
1½ lb. chicken, 2 tablespoons Bouquet Garni, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, water or chicken broth (see recipe notes), 2 dried bay leaves
Strain chicken and broth: Place colander in large bowl and pour stock pot ingredients into it; set chicken aside; save vegetables for something else or discard
Strain the reserved broth again through a fine mesh strainer; return the liquid to the pot
Make the Chicken and Dumplings
Shred chicken and add to stockpot with broth
Add milk or heavy cream to semi-warm chicken and broth; combine well
½ cup heavy cream
Bring creamy broth to a rolling boil and add flour tortilla strips or biscuit dough; allow to boil for 3-5 minutes: DO NOT STIR (see recipe notes: dumplings)
6 flour tortillas (or 5 rounds of raw biscuit dough)
Turn off the heat and let rest on the stove for 10 minutes, covered
At this point, taste and adjust seasonings; if you want it thicker, add the thickening slurry: In a one-cup measuring cup, add flour and warm water; stir together with a fork and add to the chicken and dumplings in one-tablespoon increments; turn the heat up to medium or medium-high and gently stir it until it thickens to you liking. (See Recipe Notes)
½ cup flour, all-purpose (for thickening slurry), ½ cup water (for thickening slurry), salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Notes
No Bouquet Garni?If you don't have any Bouquet Garni spice, do this: use ½ teaspoon each: poultry seasoning, ground sage, ground thyme, oregano (or marjoram)Using Canned Broth and/or Rotisserie ChickenIf you don't want to take the time to make homemade chicken broth, you can substitute with canned.
If you elect to use canned broth, you can either bake the poultry in the oven, boil it on the stove top in canned chicken broth or use a deli or rotisserie chicken
Add thawed raw or cooked chicken, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and Bouquet Garni to stock pot; pour in enough broth to cover chicken; boil till chicken is done; strain broth and resume recipe; if you use a deli chicken, no need to "boil" it, just let the cooked chicken simmer in the broth about 10-15 minutes to develop more flavor
How much water or chicken broth?This depends upon how much chicken you're cooking and how big your pot is. You want enough liquid to cover the chicken by 1"inchDumplings
Bring soup to a rolling boil; place sliced tortillas or pieces of biscuit dough in a single lay on top of the soup
Boil for 3-5 minutes; do not stir yet!
When you see the dumplings begin to puff up, you can stir gently
To thicken it:The first round of this recipe is a little thin, but keep in mind, it thickens when a) it cools a bit and b) after it's been refrigerated
If you want a thicker version right now, make a thickening slurry and add it after the soup has sat off-heat on the stove for awhile
How to make a slurry: Combine ½ cup flour + ½ cup warm water; combine well with a fork and add to warm chicken and dumplings
After you add the slurry, taste again; you may need to adjust your seasonings a little
If you find you've thickened it too much, add in a little water, chicken broth or milk and re-adjust seasonings again
A note about the thickening slurry:The amount of slurry you add depends upon the amount of liquid (chicken broth) in your pot. To avoid over thickening, add the slurry in one tablespoon increments until it gets to the desired thickness. If you add the entire slurry and still want it thicker, make another cup of slurry and add it in one tablespoon increments. Taste again afterwards and adjust seasonings to your liking. Anytime you add a slurry to a recipe, the seasonings weaken.Slow cooker instructionsThis delicious bowl of Southern Comfort can be made in a slow cooker.
Add thawed raw chicken, broth, vegetables and seasonings to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours
When ready to serve, transfer about 4-5 cups of the broth from the slow cooker to a pan on the stove
Add milk or cream
Bring the broth to boil on the stove, add sliced tortillas and allow them to cook for 4-6 minutes
Add the broth and "dumplings" back into the crock pot, stir and serve!
Add thickening slurry and allow to cook until it's thickened to your liking