Even though I grew up with the Southern type of chicken and dumplings where the dumplings are rolled flat like thick pasta sheets, I've since come around to the New England style, where the dumplings are like cakey biscuits floating on top of the chicken stew. Our go-to recipe is an adaptation of the version from Simply Recipes which I may post here someday, but this recipe I found from the King Arthur Flour website was really tasty for less effort. Andrew kept talking about how much he enjoyed it as he ate, which is my green light to make it again. Thanks, King Arthur!
Chicken and Dumplings
(Recipe slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour)
For the dumplings:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (255 grams)
- 3 1/3 tsp baking powder
- 1 rounded 1/2 tsp table salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pats
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives or parsley
- 3/4 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
For the filling:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken (I used leftover chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- 2 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (or a mixture of cooked peas and carrots)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the herbs. Cover and stick in the fridge while you work on the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large oven-safe 3-quart saucepan (I used a cast-iron Dutch oven), melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the 1/2 cup flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth 1 cup at a time, whisking it in to prevent lumps. Once all the broth has been added, season with the thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the chicken and thawed frozen veggies. Keep at a low simmer while you finish the dumplings.
- Whisk the buttermilk and egg together and add to the dumpling mixture, stirring until just evenly moistened.
- Scoop the batter over the simmering filling using a muffin scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, leaving some space between the dumplings as they will expand as they cook. Cover and bake for for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes to brown the biscuits.
- Remove from the oven and scoop a dumpling and some filling onto each serving plate.
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