My mom only made this once or twice that I can recall. At that time, she had to cook the chicken ahead of time and debone it, which was more labor intensive.

I use boneless thighs for this, as the meat remains moist. Breast tends to be dry. The dumpling recipe is Mom’s from the Steak & Dumplings recipe.

Chicken & Dumplings

CHICKEN:

• 1-1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
• oil
• salt & ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 cups dry white wine OR 1 cup dry white wine and 1 cup water or stock

DUMPLINGS:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 2/3 cup milk

Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Heat 2 to 4 Tbsp cooking oil in a large covered skillet. Brown the meat well. Add garlic and thyme, then add the wine to deglaze the pan. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the milk to form a wet but firm dough. If it’s a dry, add a bit more milk.

Add enough water to the chicken to nearly cover it, and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings by spoonfuls onto meat. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for for 15 minutes, or until dumplings are done. Watch that the liquid in the pan does not evaporate — in low humidity conditions the pan can go dry; add 1/2 cup water, as needed.

This is my mom’s recipe that she made often when I was growing up. Simple and tasty.

I have tried other dumping recipes, including Bisquick, but I always come back to this one.

Steak & Dumplings

• 1-1/2 lbs steak, sliced thin (1/8″ thick)
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 2/3 cup milk

Season meat with salt & pepper, and fry in oil until well browned. While meat is frying, blend remaining ingredients to form a wet but firm dough. Add enough water to barely cover the steak, and drop dumplings by spoonfuls onto meat. Cover tightly and cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until dumplings are done.