There are many different ways to combine chicken and dumplings. Some cooks make a chicken soup — with or without vegetables — then plop down the dumplings on the soup. The dumplings absorb quite a bit of the broth, ending up extremely tender, but the dish is quite soupy. This version starts with a chicken fricassee — chicken in creamy sauce, which again could be made with or without vegetables (this version has plenty). It is topped with dumplings, which are then steamed on top of the stove, resulting in a dish that is not too dissimilar to chicken potpie.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 pounds chicken parts, all white meat, all dark meat, or a mixture of white and dark meat
- 6–8 cups water
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cups green beans, cut in 1-inch lengths
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium-sized leeks, trimmed and sliced
- 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dumplings
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
How to Make It
- Cover the chicken with water in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Allow the chicken to cool in the cooking liquid.
- Steam the carrots and green beans until just barely tender, 4 minutes. Drain.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove it from the broth. Discard the skin and bones. Chop the meat into bite-size pieces.
- Strain the broth and discard the solids. Skim off any fat that rises to the top. Reserve 4 cups broth for this recipe and refrigerate or freeze the remainder for other recipes.
- To make the dumplings , combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until simmering. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the heated milk mixture and stir with a fork, until the mixture just comes together. Pinch off 18 walnut-size pieces and roll each into a 1½-inch ball.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the leeks in the oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until all the flour is absorbed into the oil. Whisk in the 4 cups reserved broth and the sherry, and stir until thickened and smooth. Stir in the chicken, carrots, green beans, peas, and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Carefully lay the dumplings on the surface of the chicken mixture. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
