Chicken and Dumplings

"This Chicken and Dumplings recipe is a truly simple, one-dish meal, that could make America fall in love all over again with this almost forgotten favorite."
 
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Ready In:
2hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
20
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • For the Stew:

  • Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking.
  • Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes.
  • Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin.
  • Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.
  • Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat.
  • Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour.
  • Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits.
  • Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves.
  • Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot.
  • Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.
  • Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.
  • Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon.
  • Shred the chicken,(using two forks), discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.
  • For the Dumplings:

  • Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
  • Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute.
  • Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.
  • Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings).
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes.
  • Serve.

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Reviews

  1. This is incredibly delicious. We're big fans of anything from the test kitchen!<br/>I had leg quarters, so I used those instead of thighs. I also started the dish too late in the evening and had to save it for the next night's dinner. I didn't add the shredded chicken back to the soup until I reheated it to make the dumplings the next night. <br/>It really is a perfect cold weather dish. The broth is creamy from the milk and the dumplings are nice and light inside. Mine took almost 20 minutes to cook, but my heat was on pretty low. I also didn't have any sherry so I used some Pino Grigio instead.<br/>Other than all that, I pretty much followed the recipe as it was written. I am definitely going to be making this one again and again. Plus, it fed my family of six (4 kids age 6 and under) and there are leftovers enough for 3 more generous servings. Lunch anyone?!
     
  2. Amazing one dish meal. Loved this one and it is easy. Used chicken breasts, white wine and half and half. We will have this one many times in the future.
     
  3. This is an outstanding recipe! Wow...
     
  4. WOW!!! This tasted 10 off the yummy -O-meter! Each bite tasted as great as the first.....<br/><br/>I have never had chicken and dumplings made correctly until this evening. All the dumplings of my past, be it from home cooking or restaurant; have always been gummy and without taste.<br/><br/>The dumplings turned out perfect, with a cake like interior that soaked up the stew gravy and has re-defined the word delicious for me. <br/><br/>This recipe has spot-on balance of flavors and textures. I was not a big fan of thigh meat, but when mixed with the vegetables and dumplings in this recipe it is just right. <br/><br/>I can't wait to have this again!!!<br/><br/>Thank you.... Alex
     
  5. I have been using this recipe for a few years now and it is the absolute best!!! The only thing I do differently is that I use 1/4 cup of white wine instead of the sherry, as they did on the show. Sometimes I also add some green beans at the end (right before I do the dumplings) for some extra green veggies. Every time I have made it for anyone they say it is the best they have ever had!!!
     
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Tweaks

  1. The best! I loved cooking in my dutch oven since it's all in one pot. A little time-consuming, but well worth it. I did substitute breasts one time and found that it didn't provide enough chicken fat for the dumplings so I just added some oil. Still delicious and I think we actually preferred it this way with the white meat.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

The picture above is of my daughter and me, taken about 35 years after the photo she posted on her Zaar page (WeBees); I’m the one in the goofy hat in her picture and she’s the one on the left in my picture. Most of my pre-married life was spent in Northern California in the San Francisco Bay Area with all the wonderful produce, sea food and wines that the region offers. Five of my teenage years were spent in West Africa with my family (medical missionaries). On our way back to the US we traveled extensively throughout Europe and after marrying my Navy husband, we were moved to Asia. All this said because these travel experiences greatly influenced my interest in cooking and willingness to try new foods. I’ve been with Zaar for about two years and have enjoyed trying new recipes and learning about the person who posted it. There are some crazy, wonderful and talented people out there, not to mention knowledgeable and gracious. It’s been great fun participating in the “Tag” and “Swap” games. <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/tisht/freezer.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><img src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/Zaar%20Food%20Photos/Food%20Photos%202008/herbspicesticker.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"><a href="http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/tisht/?action=view¤t=tish3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/tisht/tish3.jpg" border="0" alt="Recipezaar Challenge 2008"></a><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q23/vseward/Bevy/officialmemberofthebevtaggame.jpg"> Like many other Zaarites, I’ve collected hundreds of cookbooks. My favorites are from places that I‘ve visited around the world as well as my first, given to me by my mother when I went off to college - “The Graham Kerr Cookbook” by the Galloping Gourmet. My oldest cookbook was given to me by my grandmother – “The Boston-School Cook Book” by Fannie Merritt Farmer circa 1896. I’m an Interior Designer but also taught Weight Watchers for about twenty years. It’s tough loving to cook and bake and still keep at a healthy weight!
 
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