This recipe works great with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, but of course you can use chicken too!

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until it is crispy and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain excess grease. Add the mushrooms to the bacon fat and cook until they are soft and juicy, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and place them in a bowl.

Add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring well. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

While the vegetables cook, mix up the dumplings. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine the milk and the eggs, then stir into the flour until just mixed. Set aside for a few minutes.

Stir the 1/4 cup flour into the veggies with a wooden spoon until it coats the vegetables, then continues to stir until the flour cooks and turns golden, about 5 more minutes. Slowly stream in the chicken stock 1 cup at a time, stirring well the entire time so the mixture thickens. Add the mushrooms and the turkey into the pot. Increase the heat a bit and bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook while it bubbles for about 10 minutes. You want it to thicken up well! Stream in the heavy cream and stir well.

Drop large spoonfuls of dough all around the top of the pot. I don’t worry about crowding the pot and cover the entire top of the “soup” mixture. You want the mixture to be bubbling for 10 to 15 minutes so it cooks the dumplings – after 10 minutes I usually gently flip the dumplings over and cook for another 5 to 10.

Top the dish with the crispy bacon, fresh thyme and oregano. This is a very dumpling heavy recipe, which I adore. Serve immediately! I even love how this reheats – just add some stock or milk when reheating!