The Omnomnomicon

Chicken and dumplings

3 min read

Source: Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (February 2005)

When I feel like a chicken soup that’s more substantial than my usual mirepoix-based chicken and vegetable, this is what I use.

Details

  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
  • Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
    • Active: 55 minutes
    • Passive: 80 minutes

Equipment

  • Stove/range
  • Large Dutch oven with lid
  • Microwave-safe bowl

Ingredients

Stew

  • 2.3 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 4 tsp vegetable oil
  • 55 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
  • 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1” pieces
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 45 g (⅓ cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 60 mL (¼ cup) dry sherry
  • 1.1 L (4-½ cups) low-sodium chicken broth
  • 60 mL (¼ cup) whole milk (not low-fat or fat-free)
  • 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 150 g (1 cup) frozen green peas
  • 3 tbsp minced fresh tarragon leaves

Dumplings

  • 250 g (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 240 mL (1 cup) whole milk
  • 40 g reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

Method

Stew

  1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper
  2. Brown chicken in batches in the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat; start with the skin side down to render out the fat first
  3. Remove skin from browned chicken and reserve rendered fat separately
  4. Add butter to the pot and cook leeks, onion, and ¼ tsp salt until soft
  5. Stir in flour, then deglaze with sherry
  6. Add broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves
  7. Add chicken and its juices to the pot, cover, and simmer about 1 hour, until cooked through and tender
  8. Transfer chicken to a bowl and discard bay leaves
  9. Let stew settle, then skim excess fat
  10. Shred chicken, discard bones, and return meat to pot
  11. Start dumplings

Dumplings

  1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together
  2. Warm milk and reserved fat in microwave until just warm
  3. Stir liquid into dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just smooth
  4. Bring stew back to a simmer, then stir in peas and tarragon, and season to taste
  5. Drop golf-ball-sized portions of dough over the surface with two spoons, giving about half an inch between each
  6. Lower heat, cover, and cook 15 - 18 minutes, until dumplings have doubled in size

Notes

  • Try chicken fat works instead of butter in the dumplings
  • You can also thicken the stew with a cornstarch slurry added a little at a time; cook it a few minutes so it doesn’t taste chalky

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