![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Chicken and Dumplings
Oct. 13th, 2006 07:43 pmComfort food Heaven!! I didn't change a thing from the recipe as written. *So* good.
From The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes 1 hour braising time)
Don't use lowfat or nonfat milk for this dish. Also, make the dumpling dough only when you're ready to top the stew with the dumplings. The chicken fat rendered during the browning provides additional flavor in the dumplings.
STEW
5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
DUMPLINGS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat
or unsalted butter
1. 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-hight 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. (Feed chicken skin to dog with big brown eyes - kw) Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to the heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.
2. 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 onion and celery are 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.
3. 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, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.
4. 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 overheat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.
5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Drop golf-ball sized dumplings into 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.
From The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes 1 hour braising time)
Don't use lowfat or nonfat milk for this dish. Also, make the dumpling dough only when you're ready to top the stew with the dumplings. The chicken fat rendered during the browning provides additional flavor in the dumplings.
STEW
5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
DUMPLINGS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat
or unsalted butter
1. 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-hight 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. (Feed chicken skin to dog with big brown eyes - kw) Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to the heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.
2. 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 onion and celery are 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.
3. 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, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.
4. 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 overheat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.
5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Drop golf-ball sized dumplings into 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.
