Easier Chicken and Dumplings

Stew:
5 cups chicken broth
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion chopped fine
1 teaspoon table salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
6 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces frozen peas
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/3 cups heavy cream

For the stew: Bring broth to simmer over high heat. Add chicken and return to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer broth to large bowl. Return empty pot to medium-high heat, and melt butter. Add carrots, onion, and salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Stir in reserved broth, cream, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and stir until stew thickens, about 20 minutes.

For the Dumplings: Stir flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Stir in cream until incorporated (dough will be very thick).

For the Rest: Discard bay leaves and return stew to rapid simmer. Shred reserved chicken and add to stew along with any accumulated juices, peas, and 3 Tablespoons parsley. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of dough into the stew. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until dumplings have doubled in size 15-18 minutes. Garnish with remaining tablespoon parsley. Serve.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pie crust: see below
2 chicken breasts chopped
½ small onion chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups chopped carrots
1 ½ cups chopped potatoes
1 cup frozen peas;
2 packages turkey gravy mix
1 egg beaten

1. Cook chicken and onion in butter until the chicken is cooked and onions are tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Boil carrots, potatoes and peas until tender.
3. In chicken pan, mix up the 2 gravy mixes.
4. Combine the chicken mix with the vegetables and the gravy and pour into an uncooked pie shell made in a casserole dish.
5. Cover the pie with the top of the pie crust (I use a cookie cutter to cut a shape out of the top so that it can boil over if needed) and brush with the beaten egg.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
7. Remove foil and bake until the crust is golden brown.

Lemon Chicken Piccata

6 chicken cutlets (I get the thin-sliced breasts)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 c chicken broth
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
2 Tbsp. butter
Fresh lemon slices

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Saute for 2/3 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Drain grease and deglaze pan with 1/4 cup broth. Add garlic and cook until most of the liquid is gone. Add remaining broth, lemon juice, and capers. Return chicken to pan and cook on each side for one minute. Remove chicken and add butter and fresh lemon. Once butter melts, pour sauce over chicken. 4 servings.