Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

 

Chicken:

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds chicken breast or thigh meat, skinned, boned, and cut into long pieces

¼ cup flour

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

 

Brine:

¼ cup pickling salt* 

4 cups cold water

 

Sauce:

2 cups chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups washed and cut into bite-sized wedges fresh Porcini mushrooms

1 cup thinly sliced celery 

1 cup of squarely cut, bit-sized pieces of red bell pepper

2 large cloves of garlic, pressed

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon sage

½ teaspoon rosemary

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon dry ground mustard

4 cups unsalted chicken broth

 

Garnish:

Fresh minced parsley

 

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup coarsely ground yellow cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups cream

1 egg (approximately ¼ cup), whisked until creamy in color

 

Steps:

1. Prepare brine by bringing the cold water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Add salt and stir until fully dissolved.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Pour brine into ceramic bowl.
5. Place chicken meat in brine. Place meat and brine in icebox for 2 hours.
6. At the end of two hours, remove meat from brine and pat dry.
7. In a wide Dutch oven (this is important so that the dumplings will not stick together) with a tight-fitting lid, heat the vegetable oil.
8. Place flour, pepper, and paprika on a plate.  Stir thoroughly to combine.
9. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and spices.
10. Brown chicken pieces in the oil over medium heat until golden on all sides. Test a piece to be certain chicken is cooked through. 
11. Remove chicken pieces and keep warm in a 275° F oven.
12. Add the onion to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with salt and sauté until transparent.
13. Add the celery mushrooms, thyme, sage, rosemary and turmeric.  Sauté until the celery is tender crisp.
14. Add the red bell pepper.  Sauté one minute.
15. Add broth and garlic.
16. Cook’s Note: Garlic is not sauteed in the pan. It is simmered to bring out the sweetness of this herb.
17. Sift dumplings’ dry ingredients for dumplings into a large bowl and mix thoroughly with fork.
18. Mix cream and egg together thoroughly.
19. Add to dry ingredients.
20. Mix until barely combined. Do not over mix as this will toughen the dumplings. 
21. Allow dough to rest 15 minutes.
22. Bring broth mixture to a boil.
23. Drop the dumpling mixture by heaping tablespoons (approximately 12 dumplings) into the pot, depositing each dumpling on opposite sides of the pot to allow them to cook a little before the next dumpling is placed near them.
24. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
25. Test dumplings to be certain they are cooked through.  If not simmer a few more minutes and test again. Do Not boil.
26. To serve, place chicken pieces on the serving dish. Place the dumplings to the side. Pour sauce over top. Garnish with parsley.
27. Serve.

 

 

*Iodine was added to salt in 1924.  Pickling salt does not contain iodine.