Spanish style chicken and dumplings are feel-good favorites. I make cozy meals for myself or for my family at the end of especially long days, on nights when I feel a cold coming on, or when we are in need of a little cheering up at your house.
SERVES 4
Ingredients:
1 quart chicken stock
2 pinches of saffron
2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
¾ pound chorizo, casing removed, chopped or crumbled
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast tenders, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
¾ pound medium to large white mushrooms, quartered
2 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 to ½ cup dry sherry
½ cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 small box of biscuit mix, such as Jiffy, or measured mix for 8 drop
biscuits (make to package directions)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
Method:
In a small sauce pot, combine the stock and saffron, bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat to allow the saffron to steep.
In a large deep skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo, cook for 2 minutes to render some of the fat, then add the chicken and lightly brown.
Add the onions, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and the mushrooms, softening the vegetables for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stir, add the sherry, and stir for a minute more.
Then throw in the peas and add the saffron broth to the pan.
While the vegetables soften, place the biscuit mix in a bowl and stir in the parsley and paprika. Remove the bay leaf, then add the liquids, following the package directions.
Drop 8 small mounds of biscuit dough onto the surface of the chicken and sauce, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve in shallow bowls.
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| Spanish style chicken and dumplings |
