Growing up my mom made the best chicken and dumplings.  Throughout the years I have tried her recipe but can’t quite get it so I have found my own version.  I had a few friends ask for this one, so here I am today sharing it with you! Just as a side note, this recipe feeds my family of five with some leftovers!

For the Dumplings you will need:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 quarts of water
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and oil in your bowl. You can use a dough hook and mix with your mixer or you can do it by hand.  Either way works just fine. If the dough seems a little dry you can add a tiny bit of water to help it come together.  It should not be too sticky!
2. Once you have the dough made, roll it out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.  Use a pizza cutter to cut it into little bite sized squares.
3. Take a big pot and put the 2 quarts of water into it with 2 of the bouillon cubes. To be honest I just dump some water into the pot and forget the measuring part.  Now turn it up to high and bring it to a boil.
4. Working in batches, slowly drop the dumpling squares into the pot, one by one works best.  They will sink.  When they are done they float!  Once they are floating I let them boil for another minute or so just to make sure they are all done.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings and place them in a bowl.  Keep going until all of the dumplings are done.
5. Now take the water you have and put some (around a cup) of it into a heat safe bowl or measuring cup and add the remaining bouillon cube to the water. Pour the rest of the cooking water out.  Use the same pot to make the sauce for the dumplings to save on dirty dishes!

To Make the sauce, you will need:

• 1/4 cup butter
• salt to taste
• 1/4 flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk

Directions:

1. Melt the butter over low-medium heat stirring constantly.  Add the flour in once the butter is melted and stir for one minute.
2. Add the sugar into the cup of milk and slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture stirring constantly to avoid burning.  Slowly but surely the mixture will begin to thicken.  Here comes the chance to add in some of the reserved cooking water we set aside.  Once the sauce begins thickening I add some of the water in…perhaps about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of it.  Just depends on how thick you like your sauce.  Now turn the heat down to low and throw the dumplings into the sauce! Add salt to taste!

*I like to add shredded chicken to my dumplings to make a full meal but you can also just serve the dumplings as a side.  I cook my chicken in a crock-pot for a few hours and then shred it. Hope you enjoy.

*The original recipe is from CopyKat.com. I changed it up after making it several times to suit my preferences.

 Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce

Ingredients:

• 10 soft taco shells
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Take off heat and stir in sour cream and chilies.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

A few things to note:

• This recipe calls for diced green chilies. Don’t let that fool you, these are NOT spicy in the least.
• If you would like, you can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream in the recipe. It is a 1 for 1 substitute.
• If you cook your chicken first (rather than using a rotisserie chicken), you may want to add some spices to give it extra flavor. I like the chicken to have good flavor. I tend to cook my chicken in the crock pot with some ground cumin, garlic powder, and ground black pepper.
• You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge up to 24 hours. Just put it in the oven and increase the time a bit. You will want to make sure they are heated through.
• This sauce does not freeze well. The enchiladas themselves freeze really well. I freeze a few pans of them double wrapped in foil and then I just make the sauce the day of. Thaw them first, add the sauce, cook according to original instructions.

*I have been making this recipe that I printed from online somewhere for a long time and have no idea who the original chef is to give proper credit…sorry!