We all have those days. Days when you’re on your way home from work craving something homemade but can’t figure out what to make. A comfort food you can have on the table in less than an hour but tastes like you’ve cooked it all day. I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for over a year now. I wanted a flavorful chicken soup that started with a rotisserie chicken and a fluffy dumpling made with all purpose baking mix.  Feel free to change the recipe and make it your own.
Add more vegetables. Use flat dumplings instead of fluffy ones.
The possibilities are endless.

Chicken Soup with Fluffy Thyme Dumplings

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 and 1/2 cups baby carrots; each one cut in three pieces
1 cup sweet onion, 1/2 inch diced
1 cup celery, 1/2 inch diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Two- 32 ounce cartons (33% lower sodium) chicken broth
1 Rotisserie Chicken or 1/2 mega size- I used garlic and herb flavor
3 sprigs thyme

This recipe uses the skin, some of the bones and the juices from the rotisserie chicken as its flavor base. Don’t worry we will fish them out later! In a large stockpot melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium high heat.  Add carrots, onion and celery. Cook until onions are clear. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and stir until thickened. Add 1 more cup broth and stir until thickened. Add remaining broth. Stir until smooth.

Remove chicken from bones. Set aside. Place bones from body of bird, skin, and juices from the chicken in stockpot. Add thyme. Bring to a boil and let simmer while cutting up chicken. Add cut up chicken to gravy.  Simmer gravy, vegetables, chicken skin, bones and meat for 30 minutes. Make dumplings while chicken simmers . After simmering for 30 minutes remove chicken skin and bones!

Thyme Dumplings

2 cups all purpose baking mix
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
3/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl mix Bisquick, thyme leaves and poultry seasoning. Combine melted butter and milk. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and stir. Drop by heaping tablespoons on top of soup. Cover stockpot with lid and cook for 10 minutes without peeking. Remove lid and check the middle of a dumpling to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Enjoy!

Published in The News and Neighbor on October 26, 2013