Chicken 'n' Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings, the delicious, traditional dish of America, has a long international history. A one-pot meal combining pieces of chicken meat, flavorful, thickened broth and simple flour dumplings--either flat and noodle-like or round and substantial--this filling dish is a descendant of soups and other dishes with roots in Europe and Asia.
The flat, or "slick," dumpling is a Southern-style dumpling, and the round "fluffy" dumpling is a Northern one. The Southern flat dumplings, are rolled and cut like pastry resembling thick, dense pasta. These dumplingss cook in the broth. The Northern dumplings are drop dumplings that are more like fluffy biscuits and are cooked on top of the chicken. This recipe makes the fluffy type dumplings.
Though the concept of using noodles and dumplings in soups traveled with early settlers to America, the recipe did not evolve into a hearty, stew-like dish for some time. Chicken and dumplings became popular initially in the 17th century. During the 1800s, stuffed dumplings began to gain popularity, along with the use of unfilled dough, cooked with broth and chicken. By the late 1800s, the number of dumplings increased, thickening the dish and stretching how many people one chicken could feed.
Chicken and Dumplings
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Chicken and Stock:
1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole organic chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split through the equator
2 tablespoons salt
Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish
For the stock:
Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.
For the dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.
To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.
6 - 8 servings
