Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore {Guest Post}

This is from my friend Christie who is (lucky for me) part of our frozen dinner club. She delivered this and it landed on my list of top 10 favorite frozen dinners. And since it was a slow-cooker dinner, I asked her to guest post! 

Christie writes:

I adapted this recipe from one in a William’s Sonoma cookbook.  A good friend of mine brought it to us after I had our second son, and we loved it.  It was especially nice to have something a little different than the standard “new baby” meals (lasagna or enchiladas anyone?)   I asked for the recipe and found out it was cooked in the crock pot and I loved it even more!  The original recipe calls for using one whole, cut up chicken, but I use a mix of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs.  They are so tender by the time they are done cooking you can shred them and then you have wonderful, hearty sauce to server over your favorite starch (pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, etc) or you can serve it as a stew with crusty bread to dip in it. 

The one drawback is that there is a lot of prep work for a crock pot recipe.  However I’ve found that the prepped ingredients freeze beautifully, so you can do all of the prep work, freeze in a gallon ziplock bag and then just pop into the crock pot the day of for a delicious meal that evening.  The added advantage of this method is that you can make 2-3 meals worth at once and then you have several easy meals all ready to go in your freezer or to share with friends who are in need of an easy, home cooked meal. 

William's Sonoma

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 Tbs. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed plum tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. dried oregano
• 6 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

Brown the chicken
On a large plate, stir together the flour, the 1 Tbs. salt and the 1 1/2 tsp. pepper. Coat the chicken evenly with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken pieces, in batches if necessary and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken pieces to the slow cooker or to your ziplock bag(s) if you are freezing for later.

Cook the chicken and vegetables
Return the fry pan to medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic and sauté until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and broth, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and bring to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the chicken.

If cooking immediately, cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours.

If freezing, seal & freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and then finish cooking as directed above in the slow cooker. 

Add the mushrooms
About 10 minutes before the dish is ready, stir in the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and serve.  

Slow-Cooker Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I make shredded chicken in the crock pot way too often. It's just that it always turns out good no matter how much I mix it up ingredient-wise. Today's shredded chicken creation is nothing short of Pinterest-worthy perfection for that busy mom who needs to build out her crock pot board. I would totally pin this...

So I may have slightly over-filled them...

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4-6

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups spicy barbecue sauce (I used Stubbs spicy)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 packet of taco seasoning (or more)

1 can spicy black beans (I used Trader Joe's cuban style)

2 cups cooked rice

Head of lettuce (I used butter lettuce)

Put everything but rice and beans in the slow cooker and let it cook on high 4-6 hours or slow 8-10. (I let the chicken cook alone for an hour before adding the other ingredients.) If you're home to do this, start pulling chicken apart a few hours into it. Keep shredding as you go so it can soak up those juices. Add beans and rice in the last hour of cooking. I'm not big into corn but I bet it would add a nice crunch if you added it in. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce pieces and fill with chicken mix. Add hot sauce, buffalo wing sauce, sour cream or keep it plain -- it's so good!

My lettuce was still alive...and reduced price. Score!

This guy had 4 hugely-filled wraps. I think he liked it.

As with all my shredded chicken creations, this will undoubtedly become tacos or enchiladas tomorrow night. Bonus.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a pie (and pie crust) I can get behind! My friend Jenny first made this recipe for "Grammy's Chicken Pot Pie" from the Simply Classic cookbook for Curtis and me before we were married and it became one of our favorite recipes. Then we had it for dinner the night we got engaged so we associate it with good memories.

It's a little different every time I make it but what really makes this dish is the cream cheese crust. In fact, until now, I've never thought about using this crust recipe for a fruit pie, but I bet it would be awesome.

I made a massive batch of filling, throwing in lots of extra veggies and four crusts so I could share chicken pot pie with my frozen dinner club (or OAMC - once-a-month cooking as Hillary likes to call it) this month.

Uncooked pot pies ready to go in the freezer to share

The original recipe has you cook a whole chicken resulting in homemade stock and chicken for the pot pie. I'm sure that's fabulous, but I cheat (and always have) and just use Costco roast chickens and Kirkland signature chicken broth to keep it simple. 

GRAMMY'S CHICKEN POT PIE
from Simply Classic, The Junior League of Seattle cookbook

Pastry
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg

Filling
1 3-pound chicken, shredded into large chunks
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
Fresh veggies (this time I added a sweet potato, zucchini, green beans and bell pepper but garlic, corn, broccoli and potatoes are also good)
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced 
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 box chicken stock 

Chilling time 2 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For Pastry: combine flour, butter and cream cheese in food processor (I used my Kitchen Aid dough hook). Pulse on/off several times to form coarse crumbs. Add egg and process until dough forms a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Pasty dough may be made up to three days in advance and kept in the refrigerator, or it may be frozen until ready to use.)

For Filling: In a large saucepan, melt butter, add onion, celery and carrots (and any other veggies you're throwing in). Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to make a roux. Slowly pour in chicken stock, stirring to make a smooth gravy. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, peas and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes or so. Pour into a deep pie dish or round casserole, about 9 inches in diameter.

On a lightly floured board, roll pastry into a 10-inch round. Using a decorative cookie cutter, cut a shape from the center of pastry round. Lay pastry over the filling, fold edges under and crimp firmly against rim of dish. For decoration, moisten the bottom of the pastry cut-out and place it next to space from which it was cut.

Place pie on a baking dish sheet and bake on the lowest rack of preheated oven for 45 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Crispy Chicken Mexican Salad

I know what you're saying to yourself right now: I had you at Crispy Chicken. There’s something about that warm, crunchy crispy goodness on a nice cold salad. Stop thinking this isn't good for you; it isn't. But if you must make yourself feel better about it, think about all the beautiful greens you're consuming accidentally as you poke your fork around hunting for the fried bites of chicken.

Crispy Chicken Mexican Salad

Salad Ingredients
Lettuce/Salad Greens
Black Olives, Canned black beans, Slices of Avocado, tomato, onion, whatever!
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese
Crispy Chicken, cooked. Use something like Tyson’s Crispy Chicken Strips.
Crumbled up tortilla chips
Hot Sauce

Salad Dressing
1 part sour cream to 2 parts of your favorite salsa

Directions
Cook the chicken pieces according to package directions. While cooking, combine all salad ingredients and dressing, save for the tortilla chips and hot sauce. Serve salad and add crispy chicken to the top on each plate. Sprinkle with crumbled tortilla chips and hot sauce.

 

For another version of this delicious salad, make it Oriental by using lettuce, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, green onions and crispy noodles. Toss with an Asian Vinaigrette or make your own dressing with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add your crispy chicken and - BAM!

Budget & the Beach: Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken

As you all know, I lived in LA (Hermosa Beach) for a good amount of time.  I was lucky to meet some awesome people - mainly thru volleyball.  My friend, Tonya, was always  a great volleyball organizer and always up for a run on the beach!  She is a video editor and writer living in Los Angeles. She chronicles her journey of becoming financially independent, and navigating the rocky waters of freelancing in her personal finance blog Budget & the Beach. You can follow her on twitter at @beachbudget.  Thanks Tonya for sharing a quick, BBQ recipe with the Beauties! 

Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken (and my George Foreman Grill)

With summertime (OK fine I live in LA where it's just about always summertime), I have a tendency to want to cook less and less. Or I want something that is just easy to whip up.

Not being a gourmet chef by any means, I often whip out the single woman's alternative to the big BBQ: the George Foremen Grill. Yes, I do actually have a grill in my apartment's shared backyard, but I often find myself being kind of lazy on a weekday night when I know I'm just cooking for myself.

One of my favorite grilled chicken recipes is from a coupon book that Ralph's grocery store once sent me for Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken. Now you just say "pesto" and my ears perk up, because it's quite possibly one of my favorite things on earth!

The marinade:

1/4 cup fresh parsley (I often use thyme and/or rosemary instead)

1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I still can't say it right!)

1 Tbsp. pesto sauce (you can make it or buy a store brand)

Put all the ingredients in a large re-sealable bag and marinate for 15-30 minutes.

What I love about grilling up a few of these chicken breasts on the George Forman grill, is that I can use this chicken for a couple of days and create many different types of meals!

One of my favorite light summer meals is a salad with grilled chicken and roasted asparagus (and a glass of wine of course).

Roasted Asparagus:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. thyme

Freshly ground black pepper.

Mix all the ingredients and toss asparagus. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Delicious!

I can also used the grilled chicken and toss it in with some pasta and leftover pesto, make a pesto and grilled chicken wrap, or just toss the grilled chicken in with a salad for a light summertime dinner. Easy peasy!

And the best thing about the George Forman grill is it's such an easy cleanup! Five minutes to clean and then I'm off to slipping into my yoga pants and watching The Vampire Diaries. Ah the single life...

{Weeknight Meals} Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese

My mom passed this recipe on to me raving about how good and easy it is. I put it to the test last night ... I worked, and then was home alone with 14 week old Graham (Curtis is traveling for work) and this dinner was quick, easy and doable! Oh and very good! I scaled the recipe down and just made one chicken breast, but wish I would have cooked a few so I'd have leftovers for lunch this week.

Full disclosure:
1.) I was so hungry while I was getting this together that I ate a cookie to hold me over. It was really good, so I ate one more.
2.) The baby did cry once or twice and I had to stop and pick him up. Apparently my cooking lessons aren't that exciting.
3.) I didn't marinate the chicken for two hours like the recipe suggests. That would have worked only IF I had thought to do it before we took Murray dog for a walk but it sat in the good stuff for at least 30 min which seemed to do the trick.

My mom's additions were the thyme and garlic, so if you don't have either, this recipe could be even simpler. But I recommend growing thyme in your yard. It comes back year after year and you don't have to do a thing to keep it going. Easiest way to have fresh herbs on hand!

Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Garlic

Thyme

3 T. olive oil

2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 3- to 4- oz. wedge blue cheese, cut into 6 slices (or crumbled goat cheese)

Place chicken in zip-lock.  Whisk vinegar, 3 T. oil, 1 ½ tsp coarse salt, garlic, fresh thympe and 1 tsp. pepper in bowl.  Add to chicken.  Chill for 2 hours (or less or marinate it the night before if you're planning ahead).

Prepare BBQ…..medium-high heat.  Spray grill with cooking spray.  Grill chicken until cooked through, about 6 min. per side.  Transfer to plates and top with cheese.

I served the chicken sliced over a salad, but it would also be delicious as a burger or sandwich or plain with a side of grilled asparagus! 

And here are today's pictures of Graham playing with his awesome nanny, Lisa. It's hard work following a toy learning to hold that big, adorable head up! 

 

2-in-1 Meal: SW Chicken and Beans to Queso Cheese Enchiladas

Lately I've been into slow-cooker shredded chicken over rice, mainly using salsa or fire-roasted diced tomatoes and a few shakes of taco seasoning. When I discovered what to do with the leftovers, this 2-in-1 meal quickly became part of our regular dinner rotation...

Night 1: Slow-Cooker Southwest Chicken and Black Beans over Rice

2-4 large chicken breasts, fresh or frozen
2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 small can of sliced black olives (reserve other half for night 2)
1 can black beans, rinsed
Optional: chopped onion and/or sliced bell pepper
Salt and pepper, few shakes of each

If the chicken is frozen, give it a couple hours on high in the crock-pot and once it is thawed, add everything else but the olives, bell pepper (if using) and black beans. Turn the heat to low and let it cook 4-5 hours in the tomato goodness. During the last hour of cooking, add the bell peppers, olives, and black beans. Stir well. Dish up and serve over rice.

Whatever is left, rice and all, mix it all up and put it in a container to be used for enchilada filling for night 2.

Night 2: Queso Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Filling from night 1
Flour tortillas
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Enchilada sauce (I no longer make my own ench sauce because I love TJ's bottled stuff)
Chili con queso cheese sauce
Optional: sour cream, leftover black olives

Drizzle a little enchilada sauce in baking dish,enough to cover the bottom. On a separate plate, warm tortillas in oven or microwave and load them up with chicken filling and shredded cheese. I stuffed about 7, enough to fill one baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce. Then layer queso cheese sauce on top. Top with leftover olives. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes, covered. Serve with a heaping dollop of sour cream and stuff yourself!

Turketti Casserole

Remember this recipe come Thanksgiving: Turkey + Spaghetti = Turketti

This is the recipe you want to find when you're wondering what to do with the turkey leftovers (if there's any left after turkey sandwiches). Turketti is another classic recipe from my childhood. It's basically a cheesy spaghetti bake with a bunch of good stuff in it. It's another fool-proof, easy-to-make casserole that will probably be a hit with the kiddos.

Whenever my mom asked my brothers and I what we wanted for our birthday dinner, we chose either Turketti, the previously posted Tagliarini or Red Pork Chops. My poor mom. Pretty sure her entire pantry was filled with tomato sauce, tomato soup and cream of something soup. Oh no wait...that's my pantry.

Turketti

1 1/4 c of 2" spaghetti pieces
1 1/2 to 2 c cooked and cubed turkey or chicken
1/2 c diced cooked ham (optional)
1/4 c pimento (optional)
1/4 c green pepper - chopped or minced
1 can undiluted cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c turkey or chicken broth
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 chopped onion
1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti until barely tender. Drain and rinse with hot water. Drain well. Add remaining ingredients except for 1/2 c cheese. Stir well. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Cook's Note: You can play with this one a bit, although I highly suggest adding the pimentos for a really unique flavor. I didn't add ham this time but I did add chopped carrot and a little chopped kale. If you top it with French fried onions (from that green bean casserole) you will not be sorry.

If you saw my last casserole post for Tagliarini I promised you some follow-up pages from the cookbook my family made for me when I moved away after college. Just take a look; I don't think an explanation is needed...

At least they gave me a little credit...

One example of the love and recipes that went into this book.

Chicken Budin {Mexican Casserole} & A New Baby!

We welcomed our son, Graham, into the world on January 24 - four weeks early! Having a small and young baby comes with challenges, but selfishly we're really glad he's here and I'm having a hard time remembering what life was like before him! He's home, healthy, we're learning lots every day and have fallen hard for this little guy. 

Back in October when we found out we were having a boy I asked our readers to submit their favorite boy names. We loved all the suggestions and funny enough, Stef from Haute Apple Pie suggested Graham, which was already high on our list! Curtis and I didn't make a final decision on his name until we were on our way to the hospital, and the first time I heard a doctor address him by his name, and got to hear it out loud, I knew it was perfect! 

Now I'm sure you think I'm a rock star. Brand new baby and already cooking and cranking out a post! But don't let me fool you, my mom and mother-in-law have been taking shifts taking care of us and I haven't cooked a thing (or done a load of laundry for that matter). I was proactive and had this ready to go early. I was also planning to have a post for March ready... but that didn't happen so next month I'll have to legitimately be on top of it. 

This is one of my favorite easy casseroles and works well with a spread of Mexican food or on its own. And our friend Hillary's son, Lucas, loved it so we can even call it kid friendly (although he's an extremely good eater and doesn't let spice stop him!). 

Chicken Budin

Ingredients: 

1 to 1 ½ shredded chicken (I use Costco Roasted chickens)
30 Guerro corn tortillas
1 large block (2 lbs) Monterey Jack or Pepperjack cheese
1 large onion chopped
1 large can (27 oz.) green chilies (cut into ropes or strips)
2 medium jars (16 oz.) La Victoria chili verde (green chili sauce)
Sour cream (32 oz.)

Directions: 

1. Cook onions in oil with a little salt and then add the chili ropes.
2. Cut each tortilla in half.
3. Layer

1st layer – overlap tortilla halves to cover bottom of large casserole.
2nd layer – shredded chicken (1/3)
3rd layer – onion/chili ropes
4th layer – green chili sauce
5th layer – sour cream (32 oz. total)
6th layer – cheese

Repeat two more times for a total of three layers.

Top casserole with tortillas, then more sour cream, green sauce and cheese.

Heat until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees (about 45 min in a 350 degree oven). Broil until cheese melts / browns on top.

{Guest Post} Chicken Tortilla Soup

My friend Heather lives in beautiful Montana. I love stalking her on Instagram because she posts amazing photos of the land she lives on; her cute, fluffy doggie; knitted caps and sweaters she just seems to whip up; her adorable baby boy, and lately she's been tempting me with food. Gurrrl, I need to live next door to you! Of course she also has a cool blog with a cool name, Cooking All The Thyme, where you can enjoy more of her recipes and beautiful creations (seriously, you're gonna die over the knitted baby stuff). Basically, she is awesome, even more so that she agreed to guest post her Chicken Tortilla Soup after I drooled over her photo and asked her to do so. Thank you Instagram and thank you Heather!

Heather writes: 

During the fall and winter months you can often find me cooking up big pots of soup or stew.  I think it’s one of the best ways to enjoy, or sometimes just help tolerate, the cold, rain, and snow.  I always like to make a big pot and have dinner made for a few nights, and maybe freeze some for later too.  My hubby and I recently made my Chicken Tortilla Soup, and it was so good that right after it was gone we cooked up another pot of it.  Missy spotted my food pics of it on Instagram and let me know it was soup and stew month and invited me to guest post.  I’m delighted!

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my top favorites.  But then I think I say that about every soup or stew, there are way too many favorites!  I made this a couple years ago, after just writing a list of ingredients that I knew I wanted to use and decided on the order of how I wanted to layer in the flavors.  It turned out awesome so I put it on my (much neglected since having a baby) blog, Cooking all the Thyme.

This time I made it the same as it’s written on there except with a little more southwestern style, adding red bell pepper, black beans, and corn.  I love that you can get creative with different vegetables and things you want to add in.  Give it a little kick with some jalapeno  or leave it out and have it mild.  I also love that there’s not a lot of prepping since most of what you need is canned or frozen, so it is quick and easy to put together.  Always nice when you don’t have to be a human food processor for an hour before cooking!

Garnish it with the tortilla chips, cheddar, and scallions if so desired, and you feel like you’re having a big Mexican night kind of dinner but on the lighter side.  It’s flavorful and heartwarming, and like all soups I think, even better on the second or third day after all the flavors marry.  Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2-1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, finely chopped (for more heat, use the seeds)
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 lb cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
2 t. chili powder
1-2 t. cumin
pinch of s+p
1/4 c. AP flour
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with the juice
1/4 c. enchilada sauce, medium or hot (optional)
3-4 quarts chicken stock and/or vegetable broth (I like a combination)
2 (14.5 oz) cans black beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
handful fresh cilantro and/or parsley, chopped

Garnish:
tortilla chips (a must!)
cheddar cheese, grated
green onions, sliced

If chicken is not cooked yet, cut about 1 lb chicken breasts into bite size pieces, heat olive oil in large soup pot and sauté chicken just until cooked.  Set aside in a bowl and return empty pot to stove.]  Cover the bottom of the large soup pot with olive oil and heat over med.-high.  Sauté onion until translucent but not brown, add in garlic and jalapeño and cook for a couple minutes, then add celery and red pepper to sauté another 4-5 minutes.  Stir in cooked chicken, cumin, chili powder, pinch of kosher salt and pepper, and dried parsley if you don’t have fresh, stir it all up.  Sprinkle the flour onto the mixture, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.  Pour in diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and 3-4 qts. chicken/vegetable stock, stir and let it heat up to a simmer.  Stir in the beans (drained and rinsed), diced green chilies, and frozen corn.  If using fresh herbs, add them in and salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer (not boil!) for about a half an hour, if you can wait that long.  Dish up into bowls and sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and scallions.  Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

When Amber announced January was soup and stew month, I turned to my Cook’s Illustrated Soups Stews & Chilis cookbook. I sat next to Curtis on the couch, watching the Seahawks smash the Redskins, and browsed through the pages until I found a recipe that sounded delicious and didn’t require a trip to the grocery store.

I found a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings that could be easily be adapted for a simple and satisfying Sunday dinner. I love chicken pot pie but have never made nor had chicken and dumplings. The verdict (from both Curtis and me) is that this is really delicious, but I think I was expecting the “dumplings” to be more like biscuits or a chicken pot pie crust. Once I got over this and embraced what dumplings are, it was pretty darn good. I tripled the recipe so we’d have enough to share with our frozen dinner club.

The original recipe calls for roasting chicken thighs, which I’m sure is amazing, but I followed Missy (Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup) and Megan’s (Easy Pho) lead and took a shortcut and just boiled and shredded chicken breasts. It also calls for celery which I didn’t have on hand, so I threw in a sweet potato instead. It was perfect Sunday comfort food after a busy fun-filled weekend with the Beauties in Bellingham!

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Soups Stews & Chilis

Note: The recipe specifically says NOT to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts or to use low-fat milk for the dumplings – I did both and it turned out just fine! 

STEW
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I boiled from frozen for about 20 minutes and they pulled apart perfectly and were nice and moist.)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 celery ribs, sliced ¼ inch thick (I didn’t have any, so I threw in a peeled and chopped sweet potato)
1 medium onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup dry sherry (I buy the cheap stuff from Trader Joe’s and keep it on hand for cooking)
4 ½ cups chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

DUMPLINGS
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS 
1. Boil and shred chicken breasts (this takes about 20 minutes).
2. Heat oil and butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the celery (or sweet potato), onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits.
3. Gradually whisk in the broth, smoothing out any lumps. Stir in the carrots, bay leaves, and shredded chicken.
4. Stir in the peas, corn and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. (At this point the stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; reheat over medium low heat.)
5. FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl (I used my kitchen aid mixer). Microwave the milk and butter until the mixture is warm and add it to the flour mixture.
6. Return the stew to a simmer. Drop golf ball size dumplings into the stew, leaving about ¼ inch of space around each dumpling. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and book until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

Cocktail Hour in Bellingham courtesy of Kirsten - Recipes coming to Thirsty Thursday soon!