Recipe Background
Good gracious, Memaw's Chicken & Dumplings are a Southern treasure! Where else can you find such a warm, savory combination of tender veggies, juicy chicken, and fluffy, delicious dumplings?! Only here! And not to mention these dumplings are made from scratch from start to finish, ensuring you have a fulfilling, comforting flavor experience with every bite. Memaw's Chicken & Dumplings taste like home, and we just love them for that!
Good gracious, Memaw's Chicken & Dumplings are a Southern treasure! Where else can you find such a warm, savory combination of tender veggies, juicy chicken, and fluffy, delicious dumplings?! Only here! And not to mention these dumplings are made from scratch from start to finish, ensuring you have a fulfilling, comforting flavor experience with every bite. Memaw's Chicken & Dumplings taste like home, and we just love them for that!
Ingredients
- 1 (32-ounce) container chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons butter room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and breasts skin-on and bone-in, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry
- 3/4 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry vermouth
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs such as chives and/or tarragon, minced
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves minced
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a medium pot, add the chicken stock and bring it to a gentle simmer.
- In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, melt 2 teaspoons of the butter.
- Evenly sprinkle the chicken pieces with the extra salt.
- Working in batches, add the seasoned chicken pieces, skin-side down, to the melted butter and cook, flipping occasionally, until each side is browned.
- Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and let them cool slightly. Turn off the stovetop heat.
- Remove and discard the skin from the chicken pieces.
- Place the chicken pieces in the simmering chicken stock and poach until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a clean plate and let them rest until they are cool enough to touch.
- Pull the cooled chicken meat off the bone, then cut it into 2-inch-thick chunks. Place in a bowl and set it aside.
- In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the onions, the celery pieces, the carrots, and the thyme and sauté until they are soft but not browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour to the veggie mixture and stir well to combine. Note: The flour will absorb the fat in the pot and will stick a little to the bottom.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the veggie mixture, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Watch it carefully so it does not burn.
- Add the sherry to the veggie mixture and stir to combine. It will sputter and seize up.
- Add 1 ladle of the hot chicken stock to the veggie mixture and stir well to combine. It will be thick and sticky.
- Add a second ladle of the hot chicken stock to the veggie mixture, while stirring constantly. Repeat this step once and stir until the soup mixture comes together.
- Add the remaining chicken stock and the cooked chicken pieces to the soup mixture and increase the heat to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat and gently simmer the soup mixture while making the dumplings.
- In a medium bowl, add the cake flour, the baking powder, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and whisk to combine.
- Add the fresh herbs, the remaining melted butter, and the milk to the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to gently mix until it just comes together. Do not overmix or the dumplings will be too dense.
- Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of the batter into the simmering soup mixture and simmer, covered, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the dumplings comes out clean and they have doubled in size, about 15 minutes. Note: Do not uncover the pot while the dumplings are cooking. If they are not cooked through after 15 minutes, cover the pot again and cook, about 5-10 minutes.
- Gently stir the peas, the parsley, and the heavy cream into the chicken and the dumplings mixture.
- Taste the chicken and dumplings mixture and season with the extra salt and the pepper, as needed. Stir to combine.
- Serve.
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