Chicken and Dumplings
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
Soup base:
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup diced, peeled fingerling carrots
1 cup diced celery heart and leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock, warmed
4 cups chopped poached chicken breast
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon freshly coarsely ground black pepper
1 ½ cups crème fraiche
Dumplings:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon fresh minced thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried
thyme)
1 cup cold buttermilk, divided
4 tablespoons but
ter, grated and chilled
Garnish:
Sprigs of fresh thyme
Directions:
Soup base:
Warm chicken stock in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until warm.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add 3 tablespoons butter and melt. Do not brown.
Add onion, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add ¼ cup chicken stock and garlic to the vegetables.
Continue to saute until onions are transparent and vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables.
Place Dutch oven back over heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter..
Sift flour over butter and stir until flour is golden in color.
Add warmed chicken stock mixture, whisking constantly until stock thickens.
Bring soup stock to a simmer. Add thyme and black pepper.
Continue to gently simmer the soup base while making dumplings.
Dumplings:
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into a large bowl.
Bruise the thyme between one’s fingers and whisk into dry ingredients.
Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.
Whisk together ¾ cold buttermilk and the grated butter.
Pour buttermilk and butter mixture into the well. `
Stir the liquid and dryr mixtures together until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and a dough ball begins to form. The quality of the flour will affect how much buttermilk is required. If necessary, add the remaining buttermilk tablespoon by tablespoon until this occurs. All of the dry flour should be incorporated into the dough. Do not overwork the dough as this leads to tough dumplings. The dough may be a little lumpy and sticky.
Allow the dough to rest for 12-15 minutes.
Drop dumplings by generously rounded tablespoons into the simmering broth. Start by placing the first dumpling, as if using a clock, at 12 o’clock. Drop the next at 3 o’clock, the next at 6 o’clock, then 9 o’clock. Place 1 in the center. Then start an inner circle at 1:30, 7:30, 4:30 and 10:30 until all of the dumplings have been added to the pot. It is not suggested that one drop dumplings right next to each other as they may then stick together. Give their edges a few moments to cook in the broth to allow them to stay as individual dumplings and not a single mass.
When all of the dumplings have been added, use a fork to gently roll each one over so that each dumpling is coated with the soup base. This helps to keep them from sticking together.
Cover the Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid and adjust heat to a low simmer so as not to burn the bottom.
Simmer for 17-20 minutes. Do not lift the lid. Lifting the lid releases the steam which is necessary for the creation of tender dumplings. The object is to steam the dumplings, not boil them. Gently swirl the oven occasionally to prevent any scorching. The dumplings are expected to quadruple in size.
When the time is done, a toothpick inserted in the center if the largest dumpling. It should come out clean. Next, test the largest dumpling for doneness by cutting it in half. The dumpling should have the texture of a biscuit. If the center looks like dough, continue to cook the dumplings for a few more minutes.
When done, add chicken, vegetables, and crème fraiche. Bring the soup base back to a simmer. Do not boil.
When hot, place chicken and dumplings carefully into a bowl or tureen.
Garnish and serve.