Easy Chick'n & Dumplings

I grew up in the south eating my Grandma's Famous Chicken and Dumplings. Every get together we attended she was in charge of this dish & the collard greens. No One else was allowed to touch that dish. This has been the one dish I hesitated to "veganize" because I thought my family would not approve of me attempting to make her famous recipe - in any form. 

Let me start by saying, this is not my Grandma's recipe. I cannot make handmade dumplings as delicate and perfect as she did - I have tried, but she has a talent there that no one can match. I decided not to copy her recipe. Instead, I decided to make this dish the most simple and quick way I could because this blog is about how to feed your family vegan meals on a budget and as quick as possible. I used all the "cheater" products I could & I'm not sorry. My husband and family loved this & appreciated how quickly I got them a hot meal on this freezing Winter day. It's not the old fashion way, but it's the way that I make it now. 

Recipe: 

1 (24 oz.) box of frozen flat dumplings - do not thaw. 2 (8 oz) Tofurky slow roasted chick'n 2 (32 oz.) boxes of Vegetarian Chichen broth* 2 bouillon cubes 1/2 cup of vegan protein broth to thicken** 1 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat vegetarian chicken broth, vegan protein broth, salt & pepper, onion powder, and bouillon cubes to rolling boil over medium high heat.

2. Add your dumplings about 10 at a time. Stir after adding each batch of dumplings. Stir several times while cooking to keep them separated. Do not reduce heat.

3. Cook about 10 minutes- until dumplings are tender. You may need to add some water as the dumplings cook to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the dumplings without burning the dumplings at the bottom of the pan.

4. Add Tofurky chick'n. Stir to combine. Cook about 2 more minutes and serve.

Makes enough for 6 -8 servings.

* If you cannot find vegetarian chicken broth - use enough bouillon cubes and water to make the 32 oz. of "chicken" broth

** I found the vegan protein broth at Walmart. It should be easy to find anywhere, but if you cannot find the vegan protein broth, you can take about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid from your pot and mix with 2 tsp. corn starch. Once this mixture is smooth, return to the pot. This will thicken your "soup".

Vegan Fried Chick'n & Gravy

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Anything you can make, I can make vegan!! I have said it over and over. This dinner tonight was my offering to my husband, who used to adore Southern fried chicken and gravy. This is my first attempt at a vegan version of this family classic. I watched several videos and read a few recipes before coming up with my plan. This recipe is really a mixture of all those recipes and my own knowledge as a Southern lady. No processed vegan "meats", this is all homemade. Get ready for a great Southern meal! This would be great served with my Vegan "Cheddar Bay" Biscuits.

Looking for more Southern Vegan Classics? Try my Fried Green Tomatoes, Classic Sunday Dinner, Black Eyed Pea "Caviar", Pulled Jackfruit & NC Style Greens, Big Country Breakfast, Butternut Macaroni & Cheeze, & Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Recipe:

2 cups vital wheat gluten 

2 packs rapid rise yeast

1 Tbsp. Rotisserie chicken seasoning*

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 3/4 cup warm water

32 oz. Vegan chick'n broth (or veggie broth, if you can't find it)

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. Corn meal

Paprika, salt and pepper 

1 cup unsweetened plant milk 

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, mix vital wheat gluten, yeast, seasoning, salt, pepper, and warm water. It will form a thick, sticky dough. (Don't worry, this is exactly what you want. )

Cover bowl with a damp towel and allow dough to rise for about 30 minutes on the counter. 

Heat your broth to boiling while dough is rising. Also start warming up your oil over medium heat.  

Mix your flour, corn meal, paprika, salt and pepper in a dish.

After 30 mins, separate dough into 12 - 16  pieces (depending on size desired. They will expand about 3x while cooking in broth). Stretch to form a chick'n shape. Do not pull too thin!! You want it to be thick for the best texture. (About 1/2" thickness is perfect.)

Drop your pieces of chick'n into the boiling broth, about 3 pieces at a time. Let cook about 2 minutes on each side.

Remove pieces of chick'n from the broth and coat in flour mixture. 

Drop a few drops of water in your oil to test. If it's hot enough, it will "pop".

Place your flour coated chick'n pieces into the hot oil carefully. 

Cook until golden brown on both sides. 

Let drain and cool on a paper towel. 

While chick'n cools, pour out most of your oil from your frying pan.

Add about 2 Tbsp. of the flour you used to bread your chick'n to the oil left in your frying pan.

Whisk to form a thick paste.

Add your remaining vegan chick'n broth (which should have reduced while you boiled the chick'n in it) to your oil & flour. Whisk until smooth & then add your plant milk.

Let your gravy come to a boil, whisking frequently. Add salt & pepper to taste. Gravy will thicken as it cooks. Once it reaches your desired consistency, pour over your chick'n. (Add a little more flour if it is still too thin until you get a nice thick gravy. Remember to re-season if you add flour!)

Makes 12- 16 pieces of chick'n. 

* if you can't find Rotisserie chicken seasoning, you can mix paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme to make your own seasoning.