Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the chicken pieces, onion, celery, garlic, and chicken broth.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. Discard the onion, celery, and garlic.
- In a separate pan, melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat.
- Add 1/4 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage. Stir to combine.
- Slowly add 2 cups of the chicken broth from the pot while whisking constantly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the cooled chicken and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the shredded chicken to the pot with the thickened broth and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Add 1/4 cup of melted butter and 1/2 cup of milk to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough onto the top of the chicken mixture in the pot.
- Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and fluffy.
- Serve and enjoy your Cracker Barrel-style chicken and dumplings!
Note: This recipe makes a large batch, so you can easily halve it if you don’t want to make as much. You can also add carrots or other vegetables to the chicken mixture if desired.
