Chicken and Dumplings

Trying very hard to explain why I want chicken and dumplings today. I suppose the best reason is , “I want chicken and dumplings today.”

This is a basic guide to the creation of a thinish “chicken stew”, and the addition of a basic noodle, biscuit, or dumpling. I’ll detail a basic stew, and dumpling, along with several alternatives for the dumnpling.

And additional “dumpling” method I have committed, is to create my stew and dump 10 -12 prepared chicken “pot-stickers” in to cook.

I will NOT get into a discussion about “Floaters, sinkers, and slippery noodles”, I have NO INTEREST, in THOSE discussions. Families have been broken over this …

From Wikipedia:

Chicken and dumplings is a soup that consists of a chicken cooked in water, with the resulting chicken broth being used to cook the dumplings by boiling. A dumpling—in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shortening, and liquid (water, milk, buttermilk, or chicken stock). The dumplings are either rolled out flat, dropped or formed into a ball.

It is a popular comfort food dish, commonly found in the Southern and Midwestern United States, that is also attributed to being a French Canadian meal that originated during the Great Depression. Some sources say that chicken and dumplings originated in the Southern United States during antebellum era and was considered a mainstay during harsh economic times. One of the earliest versions of the recipe was cornmeal dumplings cooked with turnip greens.

Chicken and dumplings as a dish is prepared with a combination of simmered chicken meat, broth produced by simmering the chicken, multiple dumplings, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Sometimes finely chopped vegetables, such as carrots and celery, are added to the broth, and herbs such as dill, parsley, thyme, or chives are added to the dumpling dough.

Basic Chicken and Dumplings

Classic comfort food

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course, PubGrub

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 1714 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Chicken "Stew"

• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 lb Chicken Thighs Boneless, skinless, chunked 1/2"
• 1 ea Yellow Onion Peeled, diced
• 2 ribs Celery Washed Diced
• 4 ea Carrots Peeled, chunked 1/2"
• 3 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Salt
• 5 tbsp Butter Good stuff
• 5 tbsp AP Flour
• 6 cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 tsp Thyme Dried
• 2 ea Bay Leaves
• 2 cups Frozen peas

Dumplings

• 2 cups AP Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 1/2 cups ButterMilk Full Fat

Dumpling Alternative

• 1 Can Canned Biscuits Buttermilk or homestyle, not flaky style

Instructions

 

Chicken "Stew"

• In a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides.
• Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Add onion, celery and carrot, saute until tender crisp, we want some caramelization here
• Add garlic and stir until fragrant, ~ 60 sec
• Drop the heat to medium low, add the butter and foam out
• Sift in the flour and stir for 3 minutes, we want a smooth paste, coating the veggies
• Add back the chicken and and juices, store to coat
• Add in the chicken stock in small doses whilst stirring to avoid lumps
• Add the thyme, bay leaves and bring to a simmer
• When simmering add the peas, cover and cook for 15 minutes
• Taste, season and balance flavor

Dumplings

• Add flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to a large bowl
• Add buttermilk in small doses, whilst stirring. We want a stiff dough here
• Using a disher scoop dough into ~1" balls
• Drop dumplings into stew and simmer until they "float" and are cooked through ~ 15 minutes

Dumplings Alternate

• Break canned biscuits into pieces (~1/2 or 1/3 biscuit per dumpling)
• Drop dumplings into stew and simmer until they "float" and are cooked through ~ 15 minutes

The Third Alternate

• Heat the oven to 350
• Layer the top of the chicken stew with the canned biscuits
• Bake until biscuits are done and stew is bubbling

Notes

Lots of alternatives here, some take less time / involvement, some more.

As always this is a guide, one can use this method to create a casserole or dish, from just about any basic stew, (one might look very closely at mushrooms and tofu for a vegetarian dish)

I’ll serve with more diced onion, salt, pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 1714kcalCarbohydrates: 147gProtein: 67gFat: 94gSaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 282mgSodium: 3829mgPotassium: 1802mgFiber: 5gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1026IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 483mgIron: 11mg

Keyword Chicken, Dumpling

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