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Old-School Chicken + Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Living: A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen"


Recipe Introduction

"Most classic Southern food is hearty and rich due to the fact that the South was founded as an agrarian society. Men and women worked long, hard days tending their crops and livestock. When mealtime came, cooks not only had to make use of what was in season, but also what would sustain and fuel these tireless workers. Chicken and dumplings is one of those quintessential meals. Unlike the puffy dough-ball dumplings beloved by Yanks, true Southern dumplings are rolled out and cut by hand. My recipe is 'old school' in the sense that I focus on the basics — chicken, vegetables, flour, butter, milk, and cream. I prefer to use chicken thighs in this recipe instead of white meat chicken. Not only are the thighs cheaper, but also the skin renders delicious fat while keeping the dark meat nice and moist. So even though this recipe is made entirely from scratch, it's still something you can have on your table in about an hour."

List of Ingredients

◦  2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
◦  1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
◦  ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦  1 medium Vidalia or sweet onion, finely diced
◦  5 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
◦  3 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch pieces
◦  2 cloves garlic, chopped
◦  1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
◦  2 cups heavy cream
◦  2 cups all-purpose flour
◦  3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
◦  1 cup very cold buttermilk
◦  Parchment paper
◦  Garnish: chopped fresh thyme and parsley


Recipe

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 1 minute or until hot. Pat chicken dry, and sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook chicken in hot Dutch oven, skin sides down, 5 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.

Add onion, carrot, and celery to hot drippings, and sauté 6 minutes or just until tender. Add garlic and thyme, and sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to vegetable mixture. Stir in 3 cups water and 2 cups cream; bring to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together flour and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle flour over top of dough, and knead dough with floured hands 4 to 6 times or just until dough starts coming together. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into 15- x 12-inch rectangle about â…›-inch thick. Cut dough into 2-inch vertical strips, and cut strips crosswise every 2 inches, creating 2-inch squares (some will be irregularly shaped). Dust squares with flour, and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Uncover Dutch oven, and transfer chicken to a plate, reserving cream mixture in Dutch oven. Increase heat to medium, and bring mixture to a simmer. Add dumplings, a few at a time, stirring gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until dumplings are firm.

Meanwhile, skin and bone chicken; tear chicken into bite-size pieces. Return chicken to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 6