Chicken and Dumplings
When the weather turns cool our thoughts turn to comfort food. Some protein rich, gooey, high carbohydrate dish that an older family member could make especially well throughout our childhoods. For me, one of those dishes is Chicken and Dumplings.
My grandmother would effortlessly put this meal together while watching the grandkids, balance it out with a crunchy salad, and watch us hungrily devour every morsel. This is old-school Chicken and Dumplings, easy to put together and satisfying to the mouth and to the soul. No special ingredients, just basics and love.
A few tips for making Chicken and Dumplings:
- Accumulate schmalz! Save the chicken fat (that’s what schmalz is) from any chicken dishes you make, and freeze it. Schmalz adds a chicken-y bonus to the dumplings that is well worth the effort. It’s also good as a basic fat to use instead of bacon fat, especially if you are avoiding pork. If you don’t have schmalz for these dumplings, very soft or melted butter works well as a substitute.
- Removing the chicken before it is completely done keeps the white meat from drying out. Alternatively you can use an equivalent amount of chicken thighs, which are moist and flavorful.
- When removing meat from the bones, remember that this isn’t soup, it’s more like a stew. Leave the meat in large pieces, at least the size of the dumplings.
- Adding warm broth to the dumplings jumpstarts the rise that continues when they are dropped into the boiling broth. So don’t pause for very long between assembling the dumplings and putting them into the boiling broth.
- Don’t knead the dumpling dough, just use a light hand to form the dough and turn it out onto the floured surface. This will keep your dumplings from getting tough.
- While the dumplings are cooking, resist the temptation to open the pot to check on them. Doing so will lose the steam buildup and dramatically slow down the cooking process. Be patient!
This is old-school Chicken and Dumplings, easy to put together and satisfying to the mouth and to the soul.
- 4 lb Whole Chicken (Quartered, or Thighs)
- 3 Large Carrots (Large pieces)
- 2 each Celery stalks (chopped)
- 4 clove Garlic (minced)
- 1 Medium Onion (chopped)
- 2 each Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Rubbed Sage
- 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary (Chopped small)
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 1/4 cup Self Rising Flour (divided)
- 4 oz Schmalz (Softened, or softened Butter)
- 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
Cut up the chicken into quarters and place in a pot large enough to hold the chicken and enough water to cover all parts. Make sure the pot has a well fitting lid.
Add all of the seasonings (carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper) to the chicken and water.
Place over medium high heat until water boils. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until flesh no longer looks pink. Chicken does not have to be completely done, just nearly so.
Remove the chicken quarters from the broth and place in a large bowl to cool.
Scoop out ¾ cup broth from the pot to use in the dumplings
Using a fork, thoroughly combine the schmalz and 2 cups of self-rising flour in a medium bowl.
Pour the warm broth into the flour mixture and stir gently to combine. Add enough broth to make a very soft dough. You should be able to pick it up but it should not be firm.
Working quickly, turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface (use the remaining 1/4 cup flour). Roll out to about ½ inch thickness.
Cut dough into 1-inch square pieces (don’t worry if the pieces don’t hold their shape, as long as they hold together they are fine.)
Increase the heat under the pot to bring the broth to a rolling boil.
Drop the dumplings into the pot one by one, taking care with each addition that they do not stick together.
When all dumplings are in the pot, cover and reduce heat to a slow boil. Keep the lid on to steam the dumplings for 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid.
While the dumplings are cooking, remove the chicken meat from the bones. Note: If you are making bone broth, save the bones for the broth.
After 30 minutes check to see that the dumplings are done – remove one dumpling and cut it in half. The interior should be fluffy, not dense. If they aren’t done, cover and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until they are done.
Add the chicken and carrots back to the pot and return to a simmer over medium heat to finish cooking the chicken. Serve hot.