Classic Chicken and Dumplings
When it’s the middle of January and it’s too cold out to even think about stepping outside, this Classic Chicken and Dumplings will warm your soul like a big cozy blanket! It’s hearty, economical and everyone feels satisfied when they eat it. If you’ve never had it, this recipe might be the reason why you buy chicken next time!
What is Chicken and Dumplings?
Chicken and dumplings is a classic North American comfort food, kind of like Classic Chicken Pot Pie. It’s a hearty stew, usually with milk or cream added. It typically uses mirepoix, the classic trinity of onions, carrots and celery. And for added fragrance you normally add herbs like thyme, oregano, sage or rosemary.
As it simmers, you drop spoons of dumpling batter over top and cover it. The dumplings steam as the stew simmers and the entire meal cooks in one pot.
Can I Use Dark Meat?
Yes you can. In fact, it’s better to use dark meat for this because it is a stew. This means it cooks for a while, which sometimes makes white meat tough. If you use dark meat however, it actually gets more tender the longer you cook it. So if you want to use dark meat, go for it!
How Would I Start With Raw Chicken?
If you only have raw chicken, you can start one of two ways:
- Cover the chicken with cold water in a saucepan and add some salt and pepper. Bring it to a slow simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 8-10 minutes. Then remove the chicken and save the liquid. You can use this as part (or all) of your chicken stock. OR:
- Instead of olive oil and butter at the beginning, start with only the olive oil. Once heated, add chicken and brown on all sides over medium heat. Once fully cooked, remove the chicken and proceed with the recipe from the beginning. The bonus with this method is you end up with fond at the bottom of the pan. This refers to the golden brown bits left behind from the chicken which add lots of flavour to the stew.
I really hope you’ll give these Classic Chicken and Dumplings a try soon. It’s so stick to your ribs good and you can feed a good crowd with it. And if you do, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment about how it turned out for you!
Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
STEW
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked (see notes for dark meat) medium size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, medium diced
- 2 carrots, medium halved and sliced
- 1 stalk celery, medium sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced chopped
- 8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4-4½ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped optional
DUMPLINGS
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
STEW
- Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces with your hands or 2 forks. Set aside.
- In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil and butter on medium. Once hot add onions, carrots, celery, salt and black pepper. Cook about 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add garlic, thyme and oregano. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes over medium low, stirring occasionally. The onions should look translucent the herbs should smell fragrant.
- Add all purpose flour and stir well. Cook over medium low for 45-60 seconds, stirring constantly. There should be no traces of dry flour left.
- Whisk in milk and 4 cups of chicken stock. Increase heat to medium and whisk often as the mixture comes to a boil. As it boils it should start to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn't burn on the bottom while simmering.
- Add chicken and stir well to combine. If necessary, add more chicken stock. The stew should look creamy but not too thick. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer another 5 minutes to heat chicken through. In the meantime, make the dumplings.
DUMPLINGS
- In a medium bowl combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
- Add egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
- Taste the stew and season more if necessary. Drop spoons of the batter on top of the simmering stew. Distribute them evenly with enough space in between to allow for expansion. Cover stew again and simmer for 20 minutes. The dumplings should be cooked all the way through. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Notes