Chicken n dumplings for the new millennium.
Chicken n dumplings are like chicken noodle soup, but better. Richer. Stick-to-your-ribsier.
Flour-based dumplings are simmered in a rich, buttery gravy studded with veggies and succulent chicken. Where I come from, this is a dish that everyone's gramma made, and everyone's gramma made it best.
Take, for example, my gramma. In the gospel according to Leslie (my mom), Arlowyn (her mom) made the ultimate chicken n dumplings. But Arlowyn, a bona fide farm-woman from Montana who could cut a clean pie crust in one perfect motion, didn't use recipes. Thus, there is no extant historical record of this legendary dish, which is a total bummer.
So when, last weekend, I wanted to make something warm and hearty, something that simmered and made Tiny House smell like home, I sought guidance from another culinary matriarch:
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is a titan of the home, the Rhea of the modern era. She worked her ass off to build the Death Star I mean Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She brings all the swagger to the kitchen, especially when it comes to "home cooking," so naturally I assumed she'd canonized a recipe for this classic comfort food.
Interestingly, Marty's recipe differs from those of the hoi polloi in a few ways:
Classic mirepoix flavor? No way! There is no celery, celery seed, cream of celery soup, etc. in this recipe.
It calls for peas, which are surprisingly uncommon for this dish.
Herbed dumplings! Most dumplings consist of flour, baking powder, milk. Maybe salt. But these include dill!
Forget the fryer: Martha uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
These modifications intrigued me, so I made the recipe -- as well as few modifications of my own, cf:
I made the gravy gravier with extra milk.
And more spice, i.e., cinnamon and nutmeg.
Oh, and red wine, one of my favorite food groups.
I also recalibrated the herbs in the dumplings, adding herbes de Provence and nutmeg.
These alterations yielded a richer, pie-spicier gravy than the original recipe. Its depth of flavor pairs beautifully with the juicy, dark-meat chicken thighs, offsets the sweetness of the carrots and peas, and really highlights the herbiness of the dumplings. It is autumn incarnate.
yours,
aa
Chicken n Dumplings like Martha Used to Make*
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Recommended pairing: Dry red. Ideally, you'll drink the wine you're adding to the gravy. Pro tip.
What you’ll need
For the gravy + veg
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
5 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1 ½" pieces
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken broth
½ c. whole milk
⅓ c. dry red wine, like Cotes du Rhone
¾ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp nutmeg
Coarse salt + fresh-ground black pepper
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" x 1" squares
10 oz. frozen peas
For the dumplings
¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dried dill weed
½ tsp herbes de Provence
⅛ tsp nutmeg
⅔ cup whole milk
How to make it
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, melt butter over medium heat, then add onion, carrots, and thyme. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until onion is soft, ~5 minutes.
Add ¼ c. flour and stir to coat veggies. Add broth, milk, and wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add chicken, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Season LIBERALLY with salt and pepper. I mean it. Like, 1 tbsp of salt and 1 to 1 ½ tbsp pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are par-tender and the gravy has thickened (somewhere around 25 minutes).
While your gravy and veg bubble away, make your dumplings. In a medium bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Then, using a wooden spoon, gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. To quote Martha: Your batter "should be a little thicker than pancake batter." She's right. Set aside.
Uncover your gravy and stir in the peas. Drop batter into simmering liquid by the tablespoon — about a dozen dumplings. Give each dumpling a little room to grow as it cooks, btw. Cover and simmer until chicken and dumplings are tender and cooked through, ~20 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of ricotta and some torn Italian parsley. Serve immediately. Or, if you have an iron will, forget the ricotta & parsley and throw the dish into a to-go container — chicken n dumplings travel, refrigerate, and re-heat very well.
*This recipe is 98% Martha Stewart! I've noted my mods in italics. If you want to make her original dish, here you go. If you want to know why she's cool, Buzzfeed will tell you. xx
