Test Kitchens Favorite Chicken And Dumplings Food

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Combine chicken, 2 teaspoons salt, and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; let cool 10 minutes. Discard skin and bones; shred meat into bite-size pieces (you should have 3 cups). Strain broth (you should have 4 cups; if not, add more water).
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, potato, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour; cook 30 seconds. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 1 2/3 cups flour, 3 tablespoons parsley, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk until dough holds together. Drop 8 heaping spoonfuls of dough on top of chicken mixture. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve with more chopped parsley and lemon wedges.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place chicken in a Dutch oven. Add water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.
• Increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste, adding more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk creme fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.
• Scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnish with thyme sprigs.

THE BEST CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots, celery, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 10 grinds black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to soften but don't take on any color, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until completely evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the butter until completely melted. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until it is completely incorporated and a sandy paste forms. Pour in the milk and stir until the flour has been smoothly incorporated into the liquid.
• Add the chicken and the chicken stock to the pot and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley and peas and remove from the heat.
• For the dumplings: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 10 grinds black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter until just combined, then add the milk and stir until a ball of dough forms.
• Use a small ice cream scoop or measuring cup to scoop 10 balls of dough into the pot (about 2 tablespoons each). Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low until the dumplings have puffed up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with more parsley.

THE BEST CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Start with the soup. Chop all the veggies.
• In the biggest pot you have, saute the veggies in olive oil until the onions are soft.
• Add the chicken broth, the seasoning salt (I like Morton's Nature's Seasoning best) and the chicken breasts.
• Cook for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is done.
• Take the chicken out, shred it, and return it to the soup.
• Now for the good part: the dumplings. Mix all the dry ingredients.
• Add the milk, and cut it into the dough until it forms a kind of dry, crumbly texture.
• Now knead it until it forms a nice dough-y texture.
• Put some flour down on the counter, and roll the dough until it is really, really thin. This'll take some work. It's fun though. If you're making a lot, or if you're short for room, or if you did as I advised and doubled the dumplings, you'll need to do this in a few batches.
• With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into little rectangular dumplings about the size of those gummy erasers we used in elementary school. If they don't come out even, you'll live.
• Drop the dumplings one by one into the soup. Don't stir it for a few minutes.
• The dumplings will float to the top in a few minutes. If they don't, you probably did something wrong.
• Simmer at least another 45 minutes, or as long as you like.
• Put on your fat pants and go to town.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS FOR TWO (COOK'S COUNTRY)

Steps:

• Note: Make the dumplings just before adding them to the stew.
• For the stew: Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until nearly dry, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and bring to boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes.
• For the dumplings: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Stir in broth and melted butter until just incorporated.
• Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium. Using 2 spoons, drop eight 1-inch dumplings into stew about 1 inch apart. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle peas around dumplings, cover, and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Serve.