Chicken & Dumplings

This was my very first time not only cooking, but eating chicken and dumplings. And I must say these were mighty delicious! The warmth totally envelopes you like a fuzzy blanket on a bitter winter day, and the dumplings are like soft, doughy pillows. I'm positive these are a cure-all; for no matter what ails you; whether it be in your body, mind or soul.


My stew recipe is very loosely based on Tyler Florence's. This one is heartier with the addition of sweet and white potatoes, peas, and corn. It's a stew that can stand on its own without the dumplings. I used leftover roasted chicken and my crock pot chicken stock, but canned will work just as well. (If you don't have leftover chicken you can cook your chicken and render a stock all at the same time, follow the links to Tyler's recipes for directions.) The stew has just the right amount of creamy thickness to it, and the dumplings are perfect; dense yet light with little air bubbles speckling the insides.





This recipe is very forgiving, as most stews are, a little variation on the amounts or even the types of veggies you use will give you the same, delicious result. Stick to the recipe for the dumplings and keep them small - they will grow 3-4 times in size.


Chicken & Dumplings
(Stew recipe by Reeni, Dumpling recipe adapted from Tyler Florence here and also here)

Chicken Stew:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 and 1/2 cups carrot, diced or sliced into rounds
1/2 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups potatoes, cubed (I used a mix of white and sweet)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups cooked chicken, rough-chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish


In a large, wide, soup pot or Dutch oven melt butter and heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the parsley, Italian seasoning, potatoes, peas, and corn. Simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Stir in heavy cream and chicken. Bring back to a simmer.

Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. You may need to cook the dumplings in two batches if they don't fit in the pan all at once.


Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk*


To prepare the dumplings: sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk together; pour the liquid(start with 3/4 cup, add the remaining 1/4 cup if needed) in the dry ingredients and gently fold.

Mix just until the dough comes together, the batter should be thick and cake-like.

*I made my own by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar(lemon juice will work too) to a one cup measure, than added milk. Let sit for five minutes.

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