Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings—the ultimate comfort food. When we were kids, my mother used to make chicken and dumplings for us by simply adding Bisquick biscuit dough to chicken stew. We would always fight over the dumplings. (Ever wonder why people from big families eat fast? The first kid who finished could get seconds on the dumplings.)

Making dumplings that are tasty, light, yet hold together isn’t a given. The Bisquick version, although light and fluffy, tends to fall apart. At the other end of the spectrum, my dad remembers his mother’s dumplings which were, in his words “as hard as hockey pucks”. Leftovers would be grated the following morning and fried up like potatoes.

The dumplings in this recipe are firm enough to hold together without disintegrating even after multiple reheats of the stew, yet still manage to be light and fluffy. The key is to not peek into the pan while the dumplings are cooking. The dumplings need to gently steam in the simmering stew to result in a light texture. Using cake flour in place of all purpose flour will also help the dumplings be lighter, as cake flour has less gluten than regular flour.

To coax more flavor into the stew base, we brown the chicken pieces before cooking them in the stew, and we also create a roux by browning flour in the rendered chicken fat, before slowly adding liquid.

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken and Vegetables:

• 3 to 3  1/2 pounds chicken thighs and breast parts, skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil, or a combination of both
• Salt
• 1 quart chicken stock (homemade is best)
• 2 to 3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or vermouth (optional)
• 1 Tbsp of heavy cream (optional)
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• Ground black or white pepper

Dumplings:

• 2 cups (250 g) cake flour (can sub all-purpose flour, but use cake flour if you have it, your dumplings will be fluffier)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup minced fresh herb leaves such as parsley, chives, and tarragon (optional)

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