Soups & Stewsbonappetit5.0
BA’s Best Chicken and Dumplings
With velvety chicken stew, pillowy dumplings, and tender vegetables, this homemade chicken and dumplings recipe may be the most comforting dish we've ever made.
👥 6 Servings🔥 Cook: 50 min👤 Rick Martinez📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●dutch oven
- ●oven
- ●bowl
- ●skillet
- ●whisk
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Bring 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), 1 leek, pale-green and white parts only, 1 whole carrot, 1 whole celery stalk, ½ medium yellow onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, smashed, 4 sprigs thyme, parsley stems from ½ bunch, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp. whole peppercorns, and 3 quarts water to a simmer in a large Dutch oven or wide pot over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, 40–⏱️ 50 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding skin, bones, and excess fat. Cover shredded chicken with foil to keep warm; set aside.
chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)4leek, pale-green and white parts only1medium yellow onion, chopped, divided1Parsley stems from ½ bunchbay leaf1
2
Strain chicken stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Wipe out pot, pour stock back in, and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2 tsp. Morton kosher salt.
3
Heat ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. chicken fat (schmaltz) or unsalted butter, melted, in a large skillet over medium. Cook 3 carrots, chopped into ½" rounds, 3 celery stalks, chopped into ½" pieces, and remaining ½ medium yellow onion, chopped, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not completely tender, 8–⏱️ 10 minutes; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, until vegetables are coated, about ⏱️ 1 minute. Scrape vegetable mixture into simmering stock and whisk until liquid is thickened and no lumps remain; continue to cook until vegetables are tender, 10–⏱️ 15 minutes.
carrots, 1 whole, 3 chopped into ½" rounds4celery stalks, 1 whole, 3 chopped into ½" pieces4medium yellow onion, chopped, divided1Freshly ground black pepper
4
Meanwhile, whisk 2 tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, and remaining 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Whisk ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk and remaining 3 Tbsp. chicken fat (schmaltz) or unsalted butter, melted, in a small bowl. Fold buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients just until dumpling dough comes together (be careful not to overmix or dumplings will be tough).
. baking powder2 tsp
5
Add ½ cup heavy cream and reserved chicken to stew and return to a simmer. Drop tablespoon-size portions of dough into stew (don’t worry if they aren’t perfect, they will puff up as they cook). Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook ⏱️ 10 minutes. Uncover and check dumplings for doneness: They should be about 5 times larger and should cover entire surface of stew. To be extra sure, you can remove a dumpling and cut it in half to see if it’s cooked through; the interior should look like a soft dinner roll. If they’re not fully cooked, cover and cook ⏱️ 2 minutes more.
6
Divide chicken soup and dumplings among bowls, then top with chopped chives. Do Ahead: Chicken soup, without dumplings, can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed online in February 2017; it has been updated for style. Head this way for more comfort food favorites→
Chopped chives (for serving)
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