When my wife is out and not cooking dinner, I hate to go out to eat by myself or pick up take-out food…so I came up with this cheap quick and easy recipe for chicken and dumplings.
1 rotisserie chicken from the deli - $5.99
1 quart of low sodium chicken broth - $2.89
1 package of flour tortillas - $2.19
1 carrot - $0.79
Put broth into a large pot on high and bring to a boil.
Add chopped carrot broth.
Take all the meat off of the rotisserie chicken and set aside.
Cut tortillas into 2 inch squares.
Add tortillas and chicken to boiling broth, turn down heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Whole thing takes about 30 minutes to prepare and costs under $12.00 and will make about 5-6 servings.
Me too, and we’re having leftover spinach casserole and hamburger casserole (I was on a roll with casseroles this week).
Dumplings are so easy that by the time I’ve got carrots and tortillas cut up, I might as well have made real dumplings, but I like the idea. I also like rotisserie chickens from Safeway - the same price as buying a whole chicken, and all the work is done already? Yes please!
I make dumplings with farina/cream of wheat (basically, make it as per package directions, remove from heat and quickly beat in 1 egg per 2 servings of farina. Drop in the broth to simmer.
I tried it once, when I was out of flour and didn’t feel like going to the store, and I’ve never gone back!
Do the tortillas puff up like dumplings? I think I’ll try it.
I started using the rotisserie chicken for soup too. The first day, we eat most of the meat (sandwiches, salad, whatever) and on the second day the carcass goes into a pot with water, chicken boullion cubes, and seasoning. Simmer for an hour or so, strain it, and add veggies and pasta. (Carrots, turnips, and mushrooms work great.) The two of us can get three meals from one of these chickens. There’s always some pasta in the pantry, and veggies are cheap.
Instead of just a raw carrot you have to cook from scratch, try adding a bag of assorted frozen vegetables. You get a variety of already cut up veggies that will cook up quickly due to their small size.
This is what I do. I used to use canned Veg All, but we like the taste of frozen much more, and I have a choice as to how much or how little I put in, depending on how much I need.
Tonight I made pork and dumplings. Two nights ago, my husband made some boneless pork loin chops, the kind with almost no visible fat on them. I was wondering what to do with them, because I didn’t feel like stir fry. So, I cut them up, heated them in some chicken broth, and made dumplings with chives and parsley. My husband likes chicken and dumplings…and we found out tonight that he LOVES pork and dumplings. I love them too. So, we had pork and dumplings and broccoli, and I have another recipe that I can count on.
Supermarket rotisserie chicken is OK, but I prefer to roast my own, because I stuff the body and neck cavities with chunks of peeled onion, carrot, and celery, and I have a couple of peeled, sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan. The veggies are the best part, and I like having the juices from the chicken available, too. But the supermarket chicken is extremely convenient.
The tortillas do not puff up like traditional biscuit dough. I’m sure it is more of a personal preference. Try it and see if it suits your taste. If you don’t like the tortillas, use can biscuits as pulykammel suggests.
Tortilla soup is one of my favorites, and it’s made with CORN tortilla slices which have been baked or fried until crispy. When I make it at home, I just use the corn tortillas without baking or frying, and it is very good.
I don’t think I’d like to use flour tortillas for anything except wrapping fillings. I once made a Mexican lasagna using them because I didn’t have corn tortillas or even corn chips, and they turned into gummy, snotty textured, gray, wet sludge. I would use a can of Pillsbury biscuits for dumplings, or even look up a recipe in the ol’ Betty Crocker cookbook, they can’t be that hard to make…
1 cup all-purpose flour, or bread flour if there is no all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water, plus a little more if the dough is too dry
Chicken, frozen is OK, whatever parts you like. I like skinless boneless breasts, Mr. Neville likes thighs, but often this is determined by what we have around.
Chicken stock
Frozen peas and carrots
Put chicken and chicken stock (enough to generously cover the chicken) into a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cook until chicken is cooked through (if the chicken is frozen, you should cook it for at least 30 minutes. You don’t need to defrost the chicken first.).
After the chicken is cooked, put in some frozen peas and carrots.
Mix dumpling ingredients together in large bowl. Stir until combined, adding more water if there’s dry stuff left over that won’t go in. Spoon into pot of chicken stock and chicken, one tablespoon at a time. They’ll float when they’re ready. Serve into pasta bowls, with a ladle if you like lots of broth, with a slotted spoon if you don’t.
ETA: There is no milk in this, because we keep kosher and can’t have chicken and milk together.
Thanks.