Chicken and Dumplings

Recipe by: Lisa Schroeder | from Mother's Best

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joseph DeLeo

This dish is almost as popular as our Pot Roast, probably because so many people grew up eating their mother’s or grandmother’s version. Traditionally, chicken and dumplings is like a thick, creamy chicken soup with a layer of doughy dumplings that steam right on top while the soup simmers. Some make the dumplings “slippery,” with just flour and water for a denser, chewier texture. But ours are layered with butter and leavened with baking powder, making them more like biscuits.

Back in the day, a lot of moms turned to biscuit mix to save time, so not many people remember dumplings as tender and delicious as these. Making the biscuits from scratch takes just a few more minutes than using a mix, and the results are far superior.

Yield: Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken gravy:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups chicken broth from Belle’s Chicken Soup (Love Note 1)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large carrots, peeled and diced (1½ cups)
5 ribs celery, diced (2½ cups)

For the dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
2/3 cup whole milk

For serving:

5 cups cooked chicken (you can use the cooked chicken from making Belle’s Chicken Soup; remove the skin and pick the meat off the bones, keeping the meat in large chunks; or cook a 3-pound chicken)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, for garnish

Directions

To make the gravy:

1. In a large (8- to 10-quart), heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix well to make a roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles fine, wet sand, about 3 minutes.

2. Whisk the broth into the roux a little at a time, allowing the roux to absorb the liquid before adding more (this will help prevent lumps). Add the salt, pepper, carrots, and celery. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and then lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally and skim off any scum (Love Note 2) that rises to the surface.

To make the dumplings:

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley together in a large bowl, and then cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two knives, or a whisk until it’s in small pieces. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the parsley and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse until it is in small pieces.)

2. Add the milk and stir or pulse once or twice to moisten the flour mixture. (Do not overmix or you will develop the gluten in the flour and the dumplings will be chewy.) Gather the dough into a ball.

3. Using a large spoon or your hands, scoop out ¼-cup chunks of dough, lightly roll them between your palms to round them out, and then drop into the simmering gravy (it’s ok if they sink), spacing them apart. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are done (a knife inserted in the center should come out clean), about 20 minutes. (Avoid lifting the lid while the dumplings are cooking because it slows down the cooking process, and “if you’re lookin’ you’re not cookin’!”)

To serve:

Gently stir the cooked chicken into the pot with the dumplings, return the liquid to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes to heat the chicken through. Using a serving spoon or tongs, divide the chicken and dumplings among soup bowls. Ladle the gravy over the dumplings and chicken, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

Notes

This recipe is delicious with the broth from Belle’s Chicken Soup (you need just the broth, with no other ingredients or additions). In a pinch you can use canned low-sodium chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken and still have a good meal. When you add the chicken, feel free to stir in any leftover vegetables you have lurking in the fridge, such as steamed broccoli or green beans or braised greens.

When simmering gravies or sauces that include flour, be sure you skim off any scum that rises to the surface with a large serving spoon or ladle. This scum contains proteins and fibers from the flour that can make a sauce gummy.

Editor's Note

Nutritional information does not include chicken broth or cooked chicken from Belle's Chicken Soup. For nutritional information on chicken broth or cooked chicken from Belle's Chicken Soup, please follow the link above.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Calories 335kcal (17%)

Sodium 766mg (32%)

Total Carbohydrate 40g

Fiber 2g

Fat 17g (26%)

Trans Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 11g (53%)

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 44mg (15%)