Chicken and Dumplings: The Good Kind

There are two basic schools of Chicken and Dumplings: Those where the dumpling dough is rolled out and cut into strips, and those where the dough is softer and dropped into the stew in blobs. The first type is what you would find at Cracker Barrel: Bits of chicken in a bland gravy with broad, slippery noodle-things. I find this type of Chicken and Dumplings to be edible, but unappetizing. By contrast, the recipe below is a slightly creamy chicken stew, rich with vegetables and herbs and topped with fluffy clouds of steamed dough. This is the definition of comfort food. This is Chicken and Dumplings as it should be.

Either way, note that the dumplings are really just a type of biscuit dough. In fact, Cracker Barrel uses exactly the same dough for their biscuits and their dumplings; the latter are just rolled out thinner and cut differently. The biscuit mix you can buy in the retail store is actually labeled "Biscuit and Dumpling Mix." I have also heard of people who cut up canned biscuits to use in Chicken and Dumplings. The dough here is a little lighter and looser than either of those; it has more in common with drop biscuits than the usual rolled biscuits.


This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit's "Best Chicken and Dumplings." I've simplified it a little bit both in ingredients and instructions, and left a little more room for convenience and personal taste. For example, the original calls for a leek to flavor the broth. I love leeks but they are expensive and I'm not inclined to use one where it's not going to shine in the final dish.

Chicken and Dumplings is a dish that has a little flexibility. The substitutions and adjustments I've made from the original recipe don't alter the key ingredients or proportions, and the core of the dish remains. I didn't have the parsley or green peas on hand today, but they're not essential. Rather than postpone my chicken and dumplings experience -- and thus delaying this blog post -- I forged ahead without them. Thus the batch I made today lacked a little of the color I usually prefer. I would, however, be sure to include them if serving to guests; otherwise the dish slides into Beigelandia, as the pictures show.

While the recipe has several stages, they pull together fairly easily. I have even made some stages ahead a day or two before; see the notes within the recipe for tips.

Chicken and Dumplings

adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Chicken and Broth
2-1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (white and/or dark meat, as you prefer)
1 carrot, cut in half crosswise
1 stalk celery, cut in half crosswise
1/2 large onion, cut into 4 pieces
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 springs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 bunch parsley, stems only (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp whole peppercorns
3 quarts water

Stew
4 Tbsp butter or chicken fat
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (or 1-1/2 tsp table salt)
Black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use White Lily)

Dumplings and Finishing
1 cup all-purpose flour (I use White Lily)
1 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 Tbsp butter or chicken fat, melted
2 to 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1 cup fresh or frozen (unthawed) green peas (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped chives or parsley (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the chicken and broth

Combine all of the Chicken and Broth ingredients in a large, wide pot (6- to 8-quart capacity). Place the uncovered pot over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 40-50 minutes, or until the chicken is just done. While cooking, skim and discard any foam that comes to the surface.

Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and allow to cool until they can be comfortably handled. Remove and discard the large chunks of vegetables from the broth, then strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large bowl, discarding any remaining solids. You should have around 2 quarts of broth.

Tip: The chicken and the broth can be put in separate airtight containers and refrigerated up to 2 days, until you are ready to continue with the recipe.

SuperTip: Substitute a grocery store rotisserie chicken and 2 quarts packaged low-sodium chicken broth for all of the ingredients in this step. Proceed with the steps below.

Prepare the stew

Rinse the pot and wipe with paper towels. Place the butter in the pot and melt over medium heat. Add the vegetables and salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the flour and stir until it is well-incorporated with the butter and the vegetables are coated. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Watch carefully; you are not making a roux, so you don't want this mixture to brown.

Add the broth back to the pot, a few cups at a time, stirring vigorously each time so that the mixture is well blended and there are no flour lumps before the next addition. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the skin from the chicken pieces and discard (or feed to the dog). Pull the meat from the bones and shred into bite-sized chunks. Discard the bones. At the end of the 10-minute simmer, add the shredded chicken to the pot.

Tip: At this point the stew can be cooled, put in an airtight container, and refrigerated up to a day before continuing.

Prepare the dumplings and finish

If you've refrigerated the stew before this point, bring it up to a simmer over medium heat while you mix up the dumpling dough.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk, melted butter, and parsley (if using). Stir together just until the ingredients are mixed and there are no dry bits of flour.

Add the green peas (if using) and the cream to the simmering stew, stirring until well combined. Using a soup or serving spoon, drop balls of dough into the stew, evenly distributing them as best you can. This should give you 10-12 dumplings.

Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. The dumplings will greatly expand and cover the surface of the stew.

To serve, use a large cooking spoon or ladle to scoop dumplings and stew into 4 serving bowls. Top with chives or parsley.