Chicken And Rolled Dumplings

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Tender, biscuit dough-style flour dumplings bob in a broth thickened with a splash of cream and a little flour.

Chicken and Rolled Dumplings
Photo:

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Active Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs
Servings:
4

Chicken and dumplings is one of the South’s ultimate comfort foods. This version is the one I grew up eating, courtesy of my grandmother. If you’ve ever made biscuits from scratch, you’ll find her process comfortably familiar—simply cut butter into flour in a bowl with some salt and baking powder, then stir in buttermilk until the dough just comes together.

A quick roll (you want them thinner than biscuits), a quicker cut (use a knife or a pizza cutter, even) and you’re good to go. Once simmered in the hot broth, the dumplings will puff up to almost 2 times their thickness, so bear that in mind when you roll them out. We usually aim for about ¼-inch-thick dumplings, but feel free to go thinner if you wish!

As for the broth, my grandmother didn’t include any celery, carrots, or herbs, but I find that a little adds a lot of flavor. But if you prefer yours plain with just a little black pepper like she did, that’s perfectly fine, of course!

Ingredients

  • 2 (1-lb.) bone-in chicken breasts

  • 6 cups lower-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 small yellow onion, halved 2 medium celery stalks, divided (1 stalk is optional)

  • 2 large carrots, peeled, divided (1 carrot is optional)

  • 2 (5-inch) thyme or flat-leaf parsley sprigs, plus chopped leaves for garnish

  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more for garnish

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt

  • 3 Tbsp cubed cold unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)

  • 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (optional)

Directions

  1. Place chicken, broth, and onion in a large Dutch oven. Cut 1 celery stalk and 1 carrot in half crosswise; add to Dutch oven with thyme or parsley sprigs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, undisturbed, until chicken is cooked through and easily pulls away from bone, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken; let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, pull chicken apart into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones, herb sprigs, and cooked vegetables, reserving broth in Dutch oven.

  2. Prepare Rolled Dumplings: Stir together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until flour mixture is crumbly. Stir in buttermilk until dough comes together. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a well-floured work surface; cut into 2- x 1-inch rectangles.

  3. Return broth to a simmer over medium-low. Thinly slice remaining carrot and celery stalk, if desired; add to broth with pulled chicken. If desired, whisk together cream and flour in a small bowl until smooth; stir into broth. Gradually add dumplings to broth. Cover and simmer gently over low, until dumplings are cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with pepper and chopped thyme or parsley.

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