Chicken.... errrrr Turkey and Dumplings

This family favorite began as a way to use up leftover turkey at Thanksgiving. I'm not even sure where I got the recipe any more, but it's SO good. I use to make it only at Thanksgiving time. Now I occasionally use leftover chicken and make it another time or 2 during the year.


I have kind of a funny story regarding this recipe. Believe it or not there is usually leftovers of this recipe. Since my husband is not a cold lunch person I usually send all dinner leftovers with him for his lunches. One year about 8 years ago I sent an unusually large serving with him to lunch. My husband was on his way to lunch when a friend of his didn't bring lunch and was going to buy a cafeteria lunch. Dear hubby told him to never mind and he'd give him half of his wonderful Turkey and Dumplings. They both enjoyed their lunch. Life went on. About one year later and around Thanksgiving hubby's friend comes up to him and asks, "Do you think you're wife is going to have any leftovers of Turkey and Dumplings she could send my way?" He then laughed and said, "Just kidding." In way that dear hubby said meant "I'm really not kidding, but don't want to sound presumptuous." So, I sent each guy their own serving of Turkey and Dumplings. Dear Hubby came home with rave reviews again. I had no idea the work friend loved my Turkey and Dumplings that much.

Year 3 rolls around and I asked my husband if he wanted Turkey and Dumplings for his friend. He said, "Yes." This year though his friend wasn't working that day. Being the weekend my husband just popped the container into the work freezer until he saw his friend again. A few days went by and the friend came by and said he had taken a few days off. Said his only regret was he missed out on my Turkey and Dumplings. Dear hubby reached into the freezer and handed him his container of Turkey and Dumplings. My husband said he never saw a grown man do a bigger happy dance than that. Said it was almost embarrassing. We both laughed. His friend had brown bagged it that day and hubby told him he could take the Turkey and Dumplings home if he wanted. He said, "NO WAY! My sandwich can wait until tomorrow."

So, here we are years later and hubby says his friends still starts getting excited a few days before Thanksgiving. Coming by his office and licking his chops and patting his belly making sure dear hubby knows he's greatly looking forward to Turkey and Dumplings.

Chicken (Turkey) and Dumplings

4 cups of cubed cooked chicken (or turkey)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 sprinkle of garlic powder
8 T butter (one cube) 10 T flour
5 cups water
5 tsp chicken flavored instant bouillon
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pan. Sauté celery, onion and carrots in butter. When onion is clear sprinkle garlic powder and flour over vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.



Stir bouillon into 5 cups of water and slowly pour into pan. Add chicken and stir in egg yolks. Bring mixture to a boil over low heat. Check thickness of sauce and adjust if needed. Stir in frozen peas. Reduce heat to low boil for dumplings as you don’t want to burn the bottom of your sauce. Top with one recipe of Bisquick dumplings. 6 servings

(Nothing fancy just good ole simple Bisquick Dumplings)

Bisquick Dumplings
2 ¼ cup Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

(I like to use a large cookie scoop to measure out the dumplings)

Mix together. Drop into boiling liquid by the spoonful (size 40 cookie scoop works great for this.) Cook 10 minutes uncovered. Then cook 10 minutes covered. For slightly bigger dumplings 3 1/3 cups Bisquick, 1 cup milk and cook 15 minutes uncovered and 15-20 minutes covered. Use size 16 cookie scoop to measure and drop the larger dumplings into liquid.
(This is the dumplings prior to cooking. Sorry the feeding frenzy after they were done prevented me from taking an "after" shot.)