Cozy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
This version of Cozy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings is perfect to enjoy on chilly days throughout fall and winter!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cooking Liquid
- 8 cups chicken stock, unsalted/low sodium (64oz or 1.9l)
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 stems parsley
- 4 stems thyme
- 1 star anise
Chicken and Vegetables
- 3 lbs chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon butter divided
- 5 large stalks celery, chopped (250g)
- 2 large carrots, chopped (220g)
- 1 large onion, chopped (350g)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine (330g)
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the Roux
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (¾ stick, 85g)
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (100g)
Finishing the Stew
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ cup cold milk
Garnish
- Smoked, sweet or hot paprika
- Chopped fresh thyme
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the chicken stock, salt, and pepper, covered, in a large Dutch oven (or large pot) on low heat, while you prepare a sachet. Using cheesecloth, tie the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and star anise with kitchen twine and add to the stock. Turn the heat up, bring to a boil and turn down to simmer, covered, while you complete the next steps.
- Season the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. In a large stainless-steel pan, heat 2 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides to get a bit of color. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside (it will be seared but raw on the inside - don't try to cook it through on this step).
- In the same pan that you seared the chicken, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat and melt. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook for a few minutes to soften. Once the onion is translucent, they are almost done. Once you get a small amount of color on the vegetables, add the garlic for one minute. Then add the wine and vinegar and stir, cooking until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the vegetables to a bowl.
- In the same pan, make the roux. Add the butter and melt until bubbling over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. The mixture will be very thick. Cook until the roux is a light brown, and a nutty aroma begins to develop.
- Remove the sachet from the stock and gradually add the roux to the Dutch oven and whisk to thoroughly combine. You want to make sure the roux is completely incorporated in the stock before adding the chicken and vegetables. Once all of the roux is added, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Cut the seared chicken into the size you prefer (we use bite-size, about 1” by 1”). Add the chicken and vegetables into the Dutch oven with the stock mixture. Cover and gently simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
- For the dumplings, sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the salt, thyme and black pepper and gently mix. Add the water and milk and, using a spoon or spatula, gently stir until fully combined. Do not overwork the dumpling batter.
- After about 20 minutes of simmering, the chicken will be almost done, and the carrots will be close to the perfect tenderness. Stir in the cream and taste for seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
- Add the dumplings to the Dutch oven using two spoons making them the size you desire (they will almost double in size while cooking). We like to make a tablespoon size ball that will end up being almost the size of a golf ball. The dough will be sticky, and it doesn’t matter if the shapes are not perfect. Once you have covered the entire mixture with dumplings, put the lid on (and KEEP IT ON) and gently simmer for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your dumplings. At the 10-minute mark, check a dumpling, either with a toothpick – it should come out clean – or by pulling one out and cut it in half.
- Serve in individual bowls or right out of the pot. Garnish with a bit of paprika of your choosing, thyme and parsley.
Nutrition
Calories: 789kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 63gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 4914mgPotassium: 1376mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 4441IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 225mgIron: 5mg
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