Chicken & Dumplings
Posted on November 9, 2011 by Leslie Blythe No comments
I’m cheating Grandma!
Yes, I’m cheating! I got this tip online and it’s seems like a great idea. I imagine my great grandmother is rolling around in her grave! Sorry Grandma!
Chicken and dumplings is a popular comfort food dish, commonly found in the Southern and Midwestern United States. A dumpling in this context is a mixture of flour, shortening, and water or milk or flour and stock, which is then formed into a ball or rolled out flat. Chicken and dumplings as a dish is prepared with a combination of boiled chicken meat, the broth produced by boiling the chicken, multiple dumplings, and salt and pepper for seasoning.
I got blank stares from my family when I served it to them for the first time. They didn’t get it. My husband wanted me to put it under the broiler to crisp the top!
Chicken & Dumplings
Serves 6
¼ cup olive oil
4 chicken thighs, bone in (or 4 bone-in or boneless chicken breasts)
2 medium onions, diced
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
1 cup dry white wine
½ Tbs salt (plus more to taste)
½ Tbs fresh ground pepper (plus more to taste)
6 cups chicken stock
4 frozen biscuits (Pillsbury Grands! Frozen Biscuits), thawed enough to cut into pieces
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat half of the olive oil (1/8 cup) in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, turning the pieces so that all sides are slightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes for each side. Remove the chicken pieces and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the remaining 1/8 cup of olive oil to the pot, along with the onions. Sauté the onions until they’re soft, about 6 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and white wine. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Sauté, stirring frequently, for another 6 minutes.
Add the chicken back to the pot. Cover the meat and vegetables with chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes. (This step is especially flexible. If your liquid is reducing too much, you may need to add more chicken stock. If the dish is too liquidy, turn up the heat and to reduce the stock more. The idea is to end up with a consistency of a very thick stew.) If the broth is not as thick as you would like, remove one cup of the broth into a measuring cup and whisk in 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Return the broth to the pot and stir.
Remove chicken pieces with tongs and allow them to cool. Debone the chicken and shred the meat into small pieces. Return to the pot.
Cut the frozen biscuits into thirds. Drop the pieces onto the top of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through. Serve immediately.
