Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings. A southern classic homemade with bone-in chicken braised in a creamy gravy, and tender drop dumplings, is comfort food defined.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- One (3 1/2- to 4-pound) frying chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup bacon drippings, mild vegetable or olive oil, or butter
- 1 cup (5 oz) chopped onions
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) celery, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) carrots, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock or canned chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
For the drop dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons melted shortening or mild vegetable oil
Instructions
Make the chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Place the flour in a paper or resealable plastic bag or shallow dish, add the chicken, and toss to coat.
- In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the bacon fat, oil, or butter until sizzling, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Working in batches and being careful not to crowd the pan, add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and cook until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and thyme to the drippings in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add 4 cups chicken stock and the wine, if using, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add salt to taste. Add the bay leaf and return the chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Make the drop dumplings
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and thyme. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir in the eggs, milk, and melted shortening or oil until well mixed.
Finish the chicken and dumplings
- Remove and discard the bay leaf from the chicken. Increase the heat under the chicken and gravy to medium-high and wait until bubbles begin to appear around the sides of the pot, about 1 minute.
- Drop the dumplings by the tablespoon on the surface of the chicken and gravy.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, without opening the lid so the dumplings steam and become tender, for 15 to 20 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: The dumpling dough will puff and turn into irregular pillows. This is to be expected. Let go of any perfectionist tendencies you may struggle with and just let them take whatever shape.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm the cream.
- When the dumplings are cooked through, stir in the warmed cream. Sprinkle with parsley before serving the chicken and dumplings straight from the pot.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you have leftovers or prefer to make this in advance, simply keep the chicken and dumplings in the pot and let it gently simmer until heated through. As with so many things, this recipe improves vastly with age.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 766kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1337mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g