Email to Cat      

Chicken and Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Nashville Eats" by Jennifer Justus


Recipe Introduction

"I trust my friend Jamie Miller's version of any dish, particularly this hearty, one-pot stew with pillows of dumplings nestled among hunks of moist chicken pulled from the bone."

List of Ingredients

For the dumplings:
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 tablespoon baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 2 eggs
â—¦ ¾ to 1 cup buttermilk

For the gravy:
â—¦ 4 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch pieces
â—¦ 3 medium stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch pieces
â—¦ 2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 bay leaves
â—¦ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 6 cups chicken stock
â—¦ ¼ cup heavy cream
â—¦ 1 roasted chicken (3 to 5 pounds), meat removed from the bone and shredded (I like breast meat for this)
â—¦ Cracked black pepper
â—¦ Chopped Italian parsley for garnish


Recipe

Prepare the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and ¾ cup buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until a shaggy dough forms. Add more buttermilk if needed.

Prepare the gravy: In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, and bay leaves. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Let the sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream.

Fold the shredded chicken into the gravy and bring the mixture to a simmer. Using two spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoons of the dumpling batter onto the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce but should not be crowded. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, uncovered, until they are puffed and firm to the touch. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with parsley before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings