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Cozy Chicken and Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"This is the dish my husband requests the most, but for years I was terrifically resistant to making it because my previous go-to recipe was too fussy�leeks, tarragon, a long cooking time, and a whole lot of peas. It took one of those face-biting twenty-degree weeks in January, and no desire to make a special trip to the store, for me to finally start making it the way it always should have been: a rustic, easy chicken stew with lots of carrots, celery, and peas, only if you love them. I much prefer dark meat, but my husband always requests white, which is how I learned that this is actually quite perfect with white meat, not remotely dry or flavorless, as I might have assumed. Giant cloud dumplings that fully cover the pot are nonnegotiable. The result is the most warming thing, it's always done in under 90 minutes�coziness without a long commitment feels like unlocking a new level of winter thriving."

List of Ingredients

Stew:
◦ 2 � to 2 � pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
◦ Kosher salt
◦ Freshly ground black pepper
◦ A pinch or three of red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
◦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
◦ 3 large ribs celery, diced (about 1 � cups)
◦ 3 medium carrots, diced (about 1 � cups)
◦ 1 large yellow onion, diced
◦ � cup dry sherry or white wine (optional)
◦ ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
◦ 1 quart chicken broth
◦ 1 cup milk, any kind
◦ 1 bay leaf
◦ 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
◦ � cup frozen green peas (optional)
◦ � cup minced fresh herbs of your choice (I like parsley, chives, and dill), divided

Dumplings:
◦ 1 cup milk, any kind
◦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
◦ 1 � teaspoons kosher salt
◦ 1 tablespoon baking powder
◦ 1 � cups all-purpose flour


Recipe

Make the stew:
Season chicken on both sides with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and, if using, red pepper flakes.

Heat a large (5- to 6-quart) heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, and melt half of the butter in it. Arrange half the chicken pieces skin side down and cook until a nutty golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces over and brown on the second side. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining butter and chicken, adding it to the plate with the first pieces.

Add the celery, carrots, and onion to the empty pot, season well with salt and pepper, and cook until partially softened, about 7 minutes. Add the sherry or wine, if using, scraping up any stuck bits, and cooking until the liquid disappears. Stir in the flour. Stir in the broth, milk, bay leaf, and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot, and season with additional salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the chicken is just cooked through (it will have more cooking time in a moment) and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the chicken with tongs, and set it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Discard the bay leaf, and return the chicken to the pot to rewarm. Stir in peas, if using, and add 3 tablespoons of the minced herbs. Taste for seasoning (this will be your last chance to get it right), adding more salt and pepper as needed. (I usually need a total of 2 to 3 teaspoons of kosher salt for the stew.)

Make the dumplings:
Heat the milk, butter, and salt in a medium bowl in the microwave, or in a medium pot over medium-high heat, just until the butter melts. Thoroughly whisk in the baking powder; then stir in the flour. Scoop golf-ball-sized potions of the soft dough (with either a soup spoon or a cookie scoop),and drop them, one at a time, over the top of the stew. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings cover the surface, having doubled in size, about 15 minutes. If you can bear it, let the soup rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of herbs, and divide between soup bowls.

Serves 6







❧ Notes:

� I actually love these dumplings with buttermilk, but was loath to ask you to use two different kinds of milk in the same recipe when dumplings are also excellent made with regular milk. If you've got buttermilk around and want to use it here, however, use the same amount as of regular milk, but drop the flour in the dumplings to 1 ⅔ cups, because buttermilk is thicker.

� Why brown the chicken if you're just ultimately going to remove the skin and bones? Flavor. Bone-in, skin-on parts have much more flavor and cook up far less dry than cutlets. Browning the skin releases delicious schmaltz into the pan, which flavors the whole dish. However, if you absolutely insist, you can make this with boneless breast or thigh cutlets. Just use less chicken (1 � to 2 pounds), and cook it for just 15 to 20 minutes.