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Chicken and Dumplings
Steaming bowls of rich, savory broth and fluffy, buttery dumplings are exactly what chilly evenings call for. This classic recipe builds incredible flavor from the ground up by simmering a whole chicken with aromatic vegetables. You'll drop the homemade dough right onto the bubbling stew, letting it steam to tender perfection. It's a deeply comforting meal that'll warm you from the inside out.
Ingredients
- 1 cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 ½ lb)
- 4 medium stalks celery (with leaves), chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, sliced ( ½ cup)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 5 cups water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, if desired
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold butter or shortening
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
- 1Trim any excess fat from the chicken. Place the chicken, chopped celery, onion, sliced carrot, parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and water into a 4-quart Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat.
- 2Place the lid on the pot and simmer for about 2 hours. The chicken is ready when the juices run clear after cutting into the thickest part of the meat, reaching an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 3Take the chicken and vegetables out of the Dutch oven. Skim off 1/2 cup of fat from the surface of the broth and set it aside. Pour the broth into a large bowl, keeping 4 cups for the recipe and saving any extra for future use.
- 4Warm the reserved 1/2 cup of fat in the Dutch oven over low heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup of flour and cook while stirring constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and bubbly, then take the pot off the heat. Stir constantly here so the flour doesn't burn and turn bitter.
- 5Pour in the 4 cups of reserved broth and stir well. Bring the liquid to a boil while stirring continuously, letting it boil for 1 minute. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot, lower the heat, and warm everything through for about 20 minutes.
- 6Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, dried parsley flakes, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- 7Work the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir gently to combine. Don't overmix the dough, or the dumplings will become tough.
- 8Scoop spoonfuls of the dough and drop them onto the hot chicken and vegetables, avoiding the liquid directly to prevent soggy dumplings. Leave the pot uncovered and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
- 9Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through.
Notes
- Shortcut: For faster dumplings, skip the homemade dough. Stir 2 cups of baking mix and 2/3 cup of milk until a soft dough forms, then drop and cook as directed.
- Thickening shortcut: If you're using the baking mix shortcut, you can also substitute 1/2 cup of baking mix for the flour when thickening the broth.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth if it's too thick.
- Broth tip: Save any extra chicken broth from the boiling step in a freezer-safe container for future soups or stews.