Chicken and Dumplings

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect comfort food - warm and hearty, filled with chicken and vegetables.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 40

Total Time2

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, comfort food, dumplings, soup, stew

Servings:

Calories: 515kcal

Author: Carissa Serink

Equipment

Large Dutch Oven

Ingredients

Stew

2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 thighs)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
3 small onions chopped
3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound chicken wings (10 wing pieces) (see note)
1/4 cup minced parsley

Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1 large egg white

Instructions

Stew

Dry 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with a paper towel. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cook until skin is well browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip thighs and cook until well browned. Transfer thighs to a large plate and repeat with remaining thighs. Discard all except for 1 teaspoon of the fat from the Dutch oven.
Add the chopped onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Slowly stir in 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, as well as any juices from the plate and 1 pound chicken wings. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer until a paring knife slips easily into the chicken thighs, 45-55 minutes.
Remove pot from heat. Remove chicken thighs and wings from pot with tongs and place on a plate to cool slightly. While chicken is cooling, skim as much fat as possible from the top of the stew with a spoon. Remove meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones and the skin from the chicken. Add meat back to the pot.

Dumplings

Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a large bowl. Stir 3/4 cup cold buttermilk and 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (melted) together in a medium bowl so that the butter forms clumps. Whisk in 1 large egg white. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until the batter pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Return stew to a simmer and stir in 1/4 cup minced parsley. Scoop the batter in 2 Tablespoon portions onto the top of the stew, leaving about 1/4 inch between each scoop. Wrap the lid of the Dutch oven with a clean dish towel, and cover, ensuring that the towel does not fall onto the cooktop. Simmer until dumplings have doubled in size and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes clean. Serve.

Notes

If you don't have chicken wings, use 1lb of extra chicken thighs instead. The resulting broth may not be as thick.

To make ahead: prepare recipe to the end of step 3. Remove chicken from pot, and when cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate broth in dutch oven, and chicken it it's container until ready to serve, up to 2 days. To prepare: skim fat from the top of the broth and stir chicken back into stew. Continue with recipe, bringing stew to a simmer while beginning to prepare dumplings.

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