Classic Chicken and Dumplings

[mos]

Classic Chicken and Dumplings
1 whole fryer chicken
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 cup white wine
5 cups chicken broth, homemade or packaged (not canned)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
For the Dumplings:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1-1/3 cups buttermilk or half-and-half
Wash and pat dry the chicken and cut into serving pieces.

Sprinkle kosher salt and ground pepper over the chicken, pressing lightly to adhere to the skin. Combine the 1/2 cup flour in a medium bowl, and dredge the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess.
Heat the butter and olive oil or vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottom casserole over medium high heat. Add the chicken in batches and brown all sides evenly, Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or work surface.
Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot, and saute 3 or 4 minutes, until starting to brown lightly.

Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs, then pour in the white wine. Deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pot, and lower the heat to low.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Prepare the dumplings while the chicken is cooking. In a medium bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and ground pepper. Mix well to combine.

Pour in the buttermilk or half-and-half and stir to combine. If the dumpling dough seems too stiff, add a little more buttermilk or half-and-half.
Take the chicken out of the pot, and let it cool slightly on a cutting board. Use two forks to pull the meat away from the bones.

Return the chicken meat to the pot.
Stir in the heavy cream until combined, and keep everything simmering. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into broth (don’t worry about shaping them, they’ll get tough if you do). Cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes.
Ladle chicken and dumplings into bowls, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 4-6

[Author]

Posts