4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 thinly sliced carrots
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
64 oz chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups self-rising flour
5 Tbsp shortening
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
1 tsp chopped rosemary
3 chicken breasts, butterflied (To butterfly a chicken breast, slice it in half side to side so that you have two thin pieces rather than a thick piece.)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Instructions:
Melt butter in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pan and saute' until vegetables are soft and tender. Add the minced garlic and cook and stir the mixture for one minute. Turn the heat off. Add the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper to the vegetable mixture. Stir until flour is combined with the butter and vegetables. Turn the heat back on to medium. Continue to cook and stir the vegetable mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Cook and stir the mixture and till it is creamy and thick. Stir in the cream until well combined. Pour half of the creamy soup you made into a second large, heavy pan. Cover the pans, turn the heat to low, and make the dumplings.
To make the dumplings, in a mixing bowl, combine the self-rising flour, shortening, and buttermilk. Turn the mixture onto a flour-dusted counter top. Pour the herbs on top of the dough. Knead the dough 10-12 times or until the dough is smooth and the herbs are well combined. Make 20-25 dumplings by pinching and shaping 1 to 1.5 inch balls of dough.
Increase the heat under the large pans to medium and bring the creamy soup to a low boil. Gently place half of the dumplings into the creamy soup in one pan and the other half in the second pan. Return the lids to the pans. Turn heat to low and allow the dumplings to cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT lift the lids of the pans. (Using two pans allows the dumplings the space to expand and get fluffy. This step is really important.)
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Using tongs and a paper towel, apply olive oil to a grill pan. Heat the grill pan over medium heat for about three minutes. Place the chicken on the grill pan, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the chicken to cook for 4 minutes, then turn it and cook for 4 more minutes. Remove chicken from grill pan and let rest for 3-4 minutes. Dice the chicken. By this time, the dumplings should be finished cooking. Combine the two pots of soup and dumplings and add the diced chicken. Serve in large shallow bowls. Makes 4-6 servings.
