Chicken and Dumplings

We have now said goodbye to the turkey and are all pulling out our trees and Christmas lights.  However if your turkey is still hanging out in your fridge chicken and dumplings could easily become turkey and dumplings.  Also considering a few of you are already seeing snow and others the weather is make a quick turn down, chicken and dumplings is a great dish to warm you up.   I have made and posted chicken and dumplings before but I decided to try something just a touch different this time.  I have to say that I liked this version better.  This recipe has a better broth to dumpling ratio and it comes together easier. Also I added a little secret ingredient that took it up a notch.

I’ll tell you what that ingredient was in a minute.  First let’s get started on the chicken.

Butcher a 3 lb chicken.  In a plastic storage bag combine chicken, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 garlic powder.  Seal the bag and shake to coat chicken.

Remember “Shake n’ Bake”? Do they still make “Shake n’ Bake”?

In a large heavy heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken in batches, about 2 minutes each side. Remove from pot and set aside.

In the same pot add onions, cook for about 2 minutes or until they just begin to brown.

Add carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, turmeric, salt, and pepper.

Oh and most important add the tarragon.  Tarragon is my secret ingredient.  At the very last minute it occurred to me how good tarragon is in chicken salad.  I quickly concluded that it should be equally delicious in chicken and dumplings.

Stir everything together and let cook an additional 2 minutes.

Stir in the broth and add the chicken to the pot.

Meanwhile back at the countertop, combine the dry ingredients for the dumplings in a large bowl and whisk together to combine.

And the heavy cream to the dry ingredients.

Heavy cream makes all things right.

Sprinkle with some fresh thyme and mix until just combined.

The dough will be a wet sticky dough.

Drop about 12 heaping tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into the pot. Use a cookie scoop if you have it.

Cover and simmer for 12 minutes more.

The dumplings grow to be pretty huge.  They look like matzo balls.

To make it a little easier for serving I cut the dumplings in half.   It’s your prerogative how big you want your dumplings.

Remember Bobby Brown’s “It’s My Prerogative” ?  It was post 5th Edition, pre Whitney Houston.   Anyway….

Immediately server a heaping helping of chicken (turkey) and dumplings.  The smell is intoxicating and a testament to the deliciousness of this dish.

This is truly a heavenly bowl of warm and cozy goodness.  The tarragon adds a great lemony freshness that I loved.  It was lick your spoon and bowl clean good.   In my bowl I had every desired element of a good bowl of chicken and dumplings, a creamy broth, firm but light dumplings, tender chicken and comfort.  Believe it or not it was even better the next day and the next.  I made a really big pot and there’s only two of us.

Print Recipe

Chicken and Dumplings (adapted from Cookie | November 2007)

For the soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Fresh parsley

For the dumplings

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream

In a large plastic storage bag combine chicken pieces with flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Seal the bag and shack to coat chicken.

In a wide, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken in the oil over medium heat, about 2 minutes a side. Remove and set aside.

Add onion to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, tarragon, turmeric, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the broth. Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, in a large bowl, combine the first six dumpling ingredients. Add the cream and mix until just combined.

Drop about 12 heaping tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into the pot. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes more.

To serve, scoop the dumplings and chicken into bowls, then cover with broth.

Tagged as: chicken, dumplings, Soup