Chicken & Dumplings

We were like Lennon & McCartney on this one.  My wife and I did a collaborative effort to make tasty chicken & dumplings for the first time.  I was looking over the recipe, and for some reason or another I felt like she would be better suited to make the dumplings.  It involved shortening, flour, buttermilk, and incorporating wet & dry ingredients in a way that made me think of baking.  Thankfully I live with a resident expert in baking.  So I asked if she would get the dumplings part ready, then I would take care of the rest.

We started with chicken breasts and thighs.  The breasts were already skinned & de-boned, so I just trimmed a little fat off them and cut them into about 3-inch pieces.  For the thighs I removed the skin, and trimmed back as much fat as I could.  I left the bones in for two reasons:  1. they will stay together better and not fall apart in my preparation, and 2. the bones have a lot of flavor in them.  Often people will use the bones to create a chicken stock. So I figured it would be good to leave them in.

This is another one-pot dish.  I like any chance to use our Dutch oven since it was one of my most coveted wedding gifts.  This starts by bringing 3 cups of water to a boil with a bay leaf, thyme, and salt & pepper.  Next you will add one onion cut into wedges (about 1/6 of the onion per wedge).  Then add the chicken to the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes with the lid covered.

During that time I sliced up 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of celery, and 1 cup of button mushrooms.  Add these to your pot, bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat & simmer (covered) for another 12 minutes or so.  Basically you created a mire poix in the pot with the celery, onion, and carrots.  The mushrooms add a little more Earthy flavor, and the bay leaf and thyme round on dish for that homey feeling you're looking for.

Next, you want to use tongs to position the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.  Divide your dumpling mixture into 6-8  portions and set them atop the chicken pieces.  Do not set them directly in the liquid.  Then close the lid and continue to simmer for another 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the dumplings comes out clean.  Basically you're steaming your dumplings.

Use a slotted spoon to remove all the solid pieces and put them into a bowl.  This is when I removed the bones from the thigh portions.  The meat should be pretty tender at this point.  Then pour 2 cups of the liquid into a measuring cup and spoon out the fat from the top.  Combine 1/2 cup of water with 1 tbsp of flour and stir that together with the cooking liquid back in your pot.  Continue cooking that through until it is thick & bubbly.  Now you have a rich gravy to pour over your chicken & dumplings.  Yum!

Of course, you could just keep the liquid as a broth and serve this more as a soup.  It would come down to your preference at that point.  I really enjoyed this dish.  The gravy & dumplings are rich, the veggies & chicken are really flavorful, and the whole thing was utterly satisfying.  This is a great one to make around the holidays when it's cold outside.