Greek Yogurt Biscuits — The Cold-Weather Version of Love

I got a message this week from a woman named Carla in Tennessee who said she has been reading my blog for six months and she started cooking in her truck because of me and she has lost fifteen pounds because she stopped eating truck stop food. She said my blog saved her health. I do not know if that is true but I know that it made me sit in my cab at a rest stop outside Lincoln and cry for five minutes, which is not something I do, but the idea that words I wrote in Grand Island, Nebraska, reached a woman in Tennessee and changed the way she eats is overwhelming in the best possible way.

I wrote back and told her I was proud of her. I told her the slow cooker is the best investment she will ever make. I told her to try the Mississippi pot roast. She wrote back and said she already made it and it was the best thing she has ever eaten. I believe her. The Mississippi pot roast does not lie.

At home, the fall routine is humming along. Amber has her first high school test next week and is studying with the kind of intensity that suggests she has already memorized the material and is now just reviewing for fun, which is the most Amber approach to anything academic. Tyler is building a birdhouse in shop class and brings home progress updates that include detailed descriptions of wood grain. Justin is playing football and coming home tired and calm, which is my favorite version of Justin.

I made my chicken and dumplings this week, the cold-weather version of love. Whole chicken simmered, shredded, thick broth with carrots and celery, and the dumplings: fluffy, pillowy clouds of dough dropped into the boiling broth and cooked with the lid on for fifteen minutes. The lid stays on. You do not peek. Peeking lets the steam out and the dumplings deflate and your dinner is ruined and your family judges you, and the judgment of four children and a husband is a burden too heavy for a weeknight.

Gayle called and asked what I made for dinner. I said chicken and dumplings. She said mine are better. I said I know. She said good. This is how Gayle shows love: by reminding you that she is still the best cook in the family, which she is, and which I am fine with, because being second-best to Gayle Novak is not a defeat. It is an honor.

So here it is—the recipe Gayle says is not as good as hers, but which four children and one husband will tell you is the best thing that comes out of my kitchen when the temperature drops. The dumplings are the heart of it, and using Greek yogurt in the dough makes them impossibly fluffy and tender without any fuss. If you are a trucker in Tennessee or a mother in Nebraska or anyone anywhere who needs a bowl of something warm and proud-making, this is your recipe. Remember: the lid stays on.

Chicken and Dumplings with Greek Yogurt Drop Dumplings

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Chicken and Broth:

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
• 10 cups water
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 3 stalks celery, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for serving)

For the Greek Yogurt Dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

1. Simmer the chicken. Place the whole chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add 10 cups of water, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
2. Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and reserve. You should have about 8 cups. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones.
3. Build the thick broth. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly pour in the reserved broth, stirring as you go to prevent lumps.
4. Bring it together. Add the shredded chicken, dried thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the broth to a steady simmer.
5. Make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, milk, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Do not overmix.
6. Drop the dumplings. Using a large spoon or 1/4-cup measure, drop rounds of dough onto the surface of the simmering broth. You should get 10 to 12 dumplings. Space them as evenly as you can—they will expand.
7. Cover and do not peek. Place the lid on the pot and let the dumplings steam for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. Do not lift the lid. The steam is what makes them fluffy and pillowy. Peeking lets the steam out and the dumplings deflate.
8. Serve. Remove the bay leaves. Ladle the chicken, broth, and dumplings into bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 385 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 980mg