Home Town Chicken and Dumplings, the Ultimate Comfort Food

Home Town Chicken and Dumplings, the Ultimate Comfort Food

Every Southern family has its favorite recipe for chicken and dumplings.  This recipe is typical of those on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where I grew up.  The dumplings are a bit lighter, but every bit as delicious!

Most Southerners love chicken and dumplings.  It’s one of those dishes that makes you feel better when you’re sick or warm on a cool, rainy day.

It happens to be rainy and cool in Johannesburg today.  So, it seemed to me like the perfect day to share this old fashioned family favorite.

Down Home Chicken and Dumplings | cookglobaleatlocal.com
This tasty one dish meal is the perfect comfort food for a cool day.

In my mother’s family, which hails from Virginia and Kentucky, the dumplings tend to lean more towards the biscuit side.  However, in my home town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the tradition runs towards a more “slippery”, noodle-style dumpling, which is what I share here.

Either way, you’ll find chicken and dumplings to be the ultimate comfort food.  It’s a simple one pot meal that is guaranteed to nourish body and soul.


Down Home Chicken and Dumplings | cookglobaleatlocal.com

The Recipe

Early Americans relied heavily on their smokehouses for flavourful meat that was safe to eat.  So, like many Southern classics, the sauce in this dish is enriched with smoked bacon.

It is also flavored with plenty of fresh herbs.  The tradition of using bouquets of herbs to flavor our food harks back to colonial kitchen gardens.

However, if you visit the Eastern Shore today, you’ll find this tradition is still alive and well.  Most families take pride in having a small herb garden out back to provide for their kitchens.  Many still grow some of their own vegetables, as well.  I know my family always did.

I like to think of this dish, which builds on a rich heritage dating back over 200 years, as love in a bowl.  Hopefully, you will have the same warm, fuzzy feelings about chicken and dumplings!  Bon appétit!

 

Yum



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.