Tim McGraw Used This Southern Comfort Food to Win Over Faith Hill

Tim McGraw doesn't just know how to tug at your heartstrings with a song. As it turns out, he can also win you over with a plate of his homemade  chicken and dumplings . It's the recipe that captured the heart of his wife, country singer  Faith Hill , after all. And after celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary on October 6, it seems like the secret to love might just be found in the kitchen. 

Faith shared the cutest story about the first time  Tim asked her out on the  Bobby Bones Radio Show back in 2016, saying "He showed up unannounced at my door with a bowl of homemade  chicken and dumplings , covered with aluminum foil." Tim, ever the gentleman, even brought both a spoon and a fork because he wasn't sure how she preferred to eat her dumplings. Who could resist that kind of thoughtful charm?

I was so charmed by the story that I knew I had to give the recipe a try to see if it really was swoon-worthy. Fun fact: it's a recipe that was passed down from Tim's grandma! Here's how it went in my kitchen. 

Get the recipe:  Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

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Ingredients for Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

For this recipe, you'll need 1 whole chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds), flour, butter-flavored shortening (I used butter), buttermilk, and salt and pepper. 

Related: Dolly Parton's Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

How to Make Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

Discard the giblets, then place the chicken in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the chicken and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken reaches 165°, about 1 hour. Remove from the pot, let cool, and shred. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with 1 cup of chicken broth.

To make the dumplings, cut the shortening or butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or two forks. Stir in buttermilk until a thick dough forms. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into squares.

Add the dumplings to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Let the dumplings cook in the broth until it's thickened and creamy, about 2 hours. And voilà, you've got a dish that's pure Southern comfort.

My Honest Thoughts About Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

I'll admit that I've never made chicken and dumplings before, so I was a tad intimidated. But after one bite of  Tim McGraw 's recipe you can call me  Southern comfort food convert. I mean, this is the dish that helped snag  Faith Hill , right? Of course it had to be good. 

The hardest part of this recipe was cooking and  shredding the chicken . Everything else was super easy. After two hours of simmering, I came back to a pot of magic. The dumplings mingled in with the chicken broth in the most delicious way—little tender squares of dough that complemented the  shredded chicken in the piping hot broth.

Each bite felt like a warm embrace from a loved one after a long day. The broth is flavorful and really lets the chicken and dumplings shine. I know  Marry Me Chicken is a thing, but  Tim McGraw 's chicken and dumplings recipe is worth keeping in your romantic recipe box too. 

Related: Patti LaBelle's Easy Mac and Cheese Is Practically Perfect

Tips for Making Tim McGraw's Chicken and Dumplings

1. Low and slow is the way to go. Don't rush boiling the  chicken . The gentle simmer helps make sure the meat stays tender and the broth is packed with flavor. 

2. Go easy with the dumplings. Be careful not to over-mix your dumpling dough. You want it to be just combined for the fluffiest results. When you're cutting the dumpling dough make sure they're roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate. 

3. Consider a shortcut. To make this one even easier, one of my friends says her family uses rolled-out  canned biscuit dough instead of making the dumplings from scratch. 

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