Chicken and Dumplings recipe
This is from "The Best Recipe" a big, hard-cover collection of recipes that originally appeared in "Cooks Illustrated" magazine.
1 3.5-5 lb. whole chicken
1 large onion, unpeeled, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
6 cups hot water
A pinch of dry thyme
6 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons of butter or chicken fat
1/2 cup of sherry or Vermouth
1/2 heavy cream
4 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
6 "boiling" onions cut in half (I used 12 frozen pearl onions)
3/4 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by removing the legs and thighs and breast from the chicken. Remove all skin and excess fat from the pieces. (Note: I did a very good job of removing excess fat, and ended up with broth that had almost no fat on it -- so I had to use butter in a later step. If you want to use chicken fat, leave some of it on your chicken pieces.)
Use a cleaver to chop the back and wings into 1-2-inch pieces. This is the violent part.
Heat a large dutch oven or skillet and put in the back and wing pieces. Add the chunked, unpeeled onion and stir until the onion starts to soften and the chicken pieces start to color. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let this cook for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has come out of the chicken.
Add 6 cups of hot water, the bay leaves and the reserved, skinned chicken pieces. Raise the heat to bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this cook, covered for 20 minutes, until the broth is flavorful and the chicken is cooked through.
Fish out the breasts, thighs and legs and set them aside to cool until you can handle them.
Strain the broth and discard the onion, bay leaves and back and wing pieces. Set aside four cups of broth, and save the rest for other uses. (It's really good broth.)
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, put about 1/2-3/4 inch of water in the bottom of the dutch oven or skillet and put a steamer basket into it. Put the carrots, celery and pearl or boiling onions on the steamer and cover the pot. Steam over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until your vegetables are tender.
Finally, empty the steaming water from the pan and melt 4 Tablespoons of butter (or chicken fat that you skimmed off the broth if you like). Sprinkle 6 Tablespoons of flour over the melted butter and stir until the flour is a light tan. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of sherry or Vermouth. Add the thyme.
Add the four cups of reserved broth, the vegetables and the chicken. Warm it to a simmer. Just befor you add the dumplings, stir in the cream and the frozen peas. Adjust the seasoning with a generous amount of salt and some pepper.
Dumplings:
2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup of milk
3 Tablespoons butter
Heat the milk in a heavy pan on medium heat. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the warm milk/butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until a soft dough forms.
Now, you can just drop spoonfuls onto the simmering stew, or you can dust the dough with flour and roll it out (about 3/4 inch thick) and cut it into rounds with a biscuit cutter. I like to drop it by spoonfuls.
Gently ease the dumplings onto the surface of the stew, cover the pot and let them steam for 10 minutes for rolled dumplings and 15 minutes for spoonfuls. Don't peek. You don't want to lose your head of steam.
When the dumplings are done, serve immediately. It makes 6 generous servings.
1 3.5-5 lb. whole chicken
1 large onion, unpeeled, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
6 cups hot water
A pinch of dry thyme
6 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons of butter or chicken fat
1/2 cup of sherry or Vermouth
1/2 heavy cream
4 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
6 "boiling" onions cut in half (I used 12 frozen pearl onions)
3/4 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by removing the legs and thighs and breast from the chicken. Remove all skin and excess fat from the pieces. (Note: I did a very good job of removing excess fat, and ended up with broth that had almost no fat on it -- so I had to use butter in a later step. If you want to use chicken fat, leave some of it on your chicken pieces.)
Use a cleaver to chop the back and wings into 1-2-inch pieces. This is the violent part.
Heat a large dutch oven or skillet and put in the back and wing pieces. Add the chunked, unpeeled onion and stir until the onion starts to soften and the chicken pieces start to color. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let this cook for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has come out of the chicken.
Add 6 cups of hot water, the bay leaves and the reserved, skinned chicken pieces. Raise the heat to bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this cook, covered for 20 minutes, until the broth is flavorful and the chicken is cooked through.
Fish out the breasts, thighs and legs and set them aside to cool until you can handle them.
Strain the broth and discard the onion, bay leaves and back and wing pieces. Set aside four cups of broth, and save the rest for other uses. (It's really good broth.)
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, put about 1/2-3/4 inch of water in the bottom of the dutch oven or skillet and put a steamer basket into it. Put the carrots, celery and pearl or boiling onions on the steamer and cover the pot. Steam over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until your vegetables are tender.
Finally, empty the steaming water from the pan and melt 4 Tablespoons of butter (or chicken fat that you skimmed off the broth if you like). Sprinkle 6 Tablespoons of flour over the melted butter and stir until the flour is a light tan. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of sherry or Vermouth. Add the thyme.
Add the four cups of reserved broth, the vegetables and the chicken. Warm it to a simmer. Just befor you add the dumplings, stir in the cream and the frozen peas. Adjust the seasoning with a generous amount of salt and some pepper.
Dumplings:
2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup of milk
3 Tablespoons butter
Heat the milk in a heavy pan on medium heat. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the warm milk/butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until a soft dough forms.
Now, you can just drop spoonfuls onto the simmering stew, or you can dust the dough with flour and roll it out (about 3/4 inch thick) and cut it into rounds with a biscuit cutter. I like to drop it by spoonfuls.
Gently ease the dumplings onto the surface of the stew, cover the pot and let them steam for 10 minutes for rolled dumplings and 15 minutes for spoonfuls. Don't peek. You don't want to lose your head of steam.
When the dumplings are done, serve immediately. It makes 6 generous servings.