Make something easy and different with chicken! Chicken 'n Dumplings has been a favorite in my family for decades but making the broth from scratch usually takes hours; that's why I love my pressure cooker for this recipe!
Perfect broth in less than an hour and the whole meal, including homemade dumplings, in about 90 minutes! Use fresh, organic chicken and broth base for the best flavor and don't sub the fresh thyme for dried...it makes a huge difference.
Ingredients
1 3-pound fresh, whole chicken (organic is best)
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1/2 Tbs. fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion; coarsley chopped
1 handful of baby carrots; about 11
1/2 bunch fresh thyme; stems and all
3 Tbs. Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base
8 cups water
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Prepare the following before beginning:
1) wash and pat dry the chicken and cover with the salt and pepper; don't worry if some of the seasonings fall off.
2) peel and coarsley chop the onion
3) mix the chicken base into 8 cups of hot water.
Plug in your electric pressure cooker, set the timer for 50 minutes and press start.
Add the oil. When hot, use tongs and carefully place the chicken, breast up, into the pan; cook about 4 minutes and then turn over for another 3-4 minutes before returning it to the breast-up position.
Add the broth, chopped onion, carrots and the thyme. Close the lid and the exhaust valve and let cook the 50 minutes. When the cooking time has elapsed, turn the cooker off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool and remove the meat from the bones. Pull the meat into large pieces as it will naturally shed further during the final cooking stages; discard bones, skin and any cartilage.
Remove the carrots from the broth and set aside. Pour the broth first through a colander to catch the thyme stems, onions and any remaining bones before pouring through a mesh strainer to remove the majority of thyme leaves and some of the fat.
If your family likes carrots, coarsely chop and return to broth as is. But if your family is like mine...use an immersion blender to incorporate them into the broth! Return the chicken meat to the pot and turn the cooker to keep warm while you make the dumplings.
Dumplings
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbs. half n half
Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the half n half and stir well. Use a heaping Tablespoon of the dough to form an oblong-shaped dumpling; repeat until all of the dough has been used.
Press cancel on the pressure cooker and set the cook time for 8 minutes; press start. When the mixture boils, drop the dumplings, one at a time, into the pot; stir gently. Close the lid and close the exhaust valve. Let cook unil the timer sounds and turn the cooker off. Let sit for 10 minutes before releasing pressure. Open lid and stir.
Set the cook time for 2 minutes and press start. Make a slurry of 2 Tbs. cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir the slurry into the boiling mixture and cook 1 minute. Turn the cooker off and let rest 5 minutes before stirring and serving with cracked black pepper.
