The Best Chicken & Dumplings

  Chicken & Turkey

Homemade chicken and dumplings from scratch harken back to my childhood and chilly days when we devoured those cute little balls of dough swimming in hot, rich broth. It's one of those types of soup you'll want to eat again and again.

The Best Chicken & Dumplings

Average Rating: 4.555555

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Cook: 1 hour 10 min.
YIELD: 8 servings (3 quarts).

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 broiler/fryer chicken (about 3 pounds), cut up
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup white wine or apple cider
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 whole peppercorns

  • DUMPLINGS:
  • 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup 2% milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

  • SOUP:
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • 1. In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan.
  • 2. Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until blended. Gradually add stock, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
  • 3. For dumplings, in a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside.
  • 4. Remove chicken from stockpot; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Cook, covered, on high until mixture reaches a simmer.
  • 5. Drop dumplings on top of simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Gently stir in cream, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/2 cups: 470 calories, 24g fat (8g saturated fat), 104mg cholesterol, 892mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 32g protein.

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