Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

And here's another of my husband Morgan's meaty recipes. He says:

"There are as many ways to prepare chicken and dumplings as there are fond memories of Sunday dinner with an old-South mother or grandmother. My own mother made light, fluffy dumplings and not the rolled-and-cut, noodle-like variety, so I tend to prefer these. The sauce I've tweaked some, taking inspiration from a South Carolina grandmother and the cooking lore of the Appalachians. This recipe is a bit of a hybrid of all these influences and produces a chicken and dumplings that I find deeply satisfying. The gravy is substantial, filled with vegetable and chunks of flavorful meat, and throughout it float large, pillowy dumplings. One bowl is enough to fill you up, but you won't be able to resist a second."

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

serves four to six

Ingredients:

Stew:

    1 small hen, quartered
    1 quart chicken stock
    1 small onion, diced
    2 carrots, chopped
    2 celery stalks, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, chopped
    1/2 Tablespoon salt
    2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
    1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
    1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, minced
    2 pinches fresh rosemary, minced
    2 pinches fresh thyme, minced
    2 pinches black pepper
    1 pinch crushed red pepper
    1 Tablespoon butter

Dumplings:

    2/3 cup flour
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp baking powder
    1/4 cup milk
    2 tbsp oil 

Preparation Instructions:

1. Quarter the chicken, keep the neck, giblets, wings, and back to make stock another time (freeze).

2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Rub the chicken with some of the salt, pepper, and herbs. Fry the chicken in the butter until both sides are well browned then set aside.

3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of stock, scraping up any bits sticking to the bottom and stir. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

4. Add the chicken back into the mix, then add the stock and cover. Add remaining salt, pepper, and herbs. Reduce heat to low and cook for at least an hour.

5. Carefully remove meat from the bones, leaving it in good-sized chunks. Add the fresh parsley. Turn heat up until the stew is boiling.

6. Prepare Dumplings

    a) Mix flour, salt, and baking powder
    b) Add milk and oil and stir just until the mixture forms a clumpy mass. The dough should be sticky. Do not over-mix.
    c) Using a spoon, drop 8 mounds of dough into the boiling stew.
    d) Turn to low, simmer 10-12 minutes.


7. Serve hot. Enjoy!