I don’t really enjoy the cold anymore, but it’s a great excuse to cook warming comfort foods. There are many versions of chicken and dumplings. At its core, it is a chicken broth, bite-sized boiled or poached dough of some kind, and a little shredded chicken meat.

The first published version of this dish was in 1879, from Marin Cabell Tyree in her book “Housekeeping in Old Virginia.” But the dish has probably been around for centuries before then in many forms. During the holiday season as a child, I always looked forward to my grandmother’s chicken and noodles, which is easily a version of chicken and dumplings, as handmade noodles can be referred to as dumplings.

The first time I made chicken and dumplings was in American Regional Cuisine class in culinary school. We made a rich chicken broth that we thickened with a bit of roux, added some diced vegetables, fresh herbs and shredded chicken. We then dropped a biscuit-like dough that was almost overhydrated carefully into the soup, covered the pot and let it gently cook the dumplings until they set and the flour was cooked. It was rich, creamy and delicious, and the dumplings were delicate and flavorful.

When I go to a casual restaurant, and it’s on the menu, I often order it. Usually, these versions are a creamy chicken broth, a little shredded chicken and larger thick square or rectangular pasta style dumplings with just a little chew to them. Chicken and gnocchi soup is another popular version of this dish. Matzo ball soup is another fantastic version of this dish and one of my favorites.

When I make chicken pot pie for my family, I bake mini buttermilk biscuits half done, then carefully cover the top of the filling, gently pushing them part way into the liquid so they absorb part of that delightful sauce as they finish cooking in the oven, but still retain a delicate and flakey biscuit top.

I think it is fun to play with recipes and make them your own version. If you think about how many different ways people make chili, marinara or meat sauce, let alone how they are served, it is fun to think about all the ways people make chicken and dumplings. Even better, how could you make your own interpretation of this delightful comfort food?

Chicken and dumplings

• 1 whole chicken
• Water or chicken stock, as needed
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of dried thyme
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces, plus more as needed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Buttermilk as needed
• Fresh herbs, parsley, dill, or tarragon depending on your preferences

1. Place chicken into a large pot with garlic, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Cover with water or chicken stock.
2. Bring to a low simmer and cook chicken for 35-45 minutes until chicken is cooked. Time varies depending on the size of the chicken.
3. Carefully remove the chicken from the liquid and let rest until cool enough to remove meat from bones. Shred or dice the chicken meat and reserve.
4. Add bones and scraps back into liquid and simmer until flavorful. I usually put it into the oven at 200 degrees overnight to get a rich and delicious broth. Use the timeframe that works best for you.
5. Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Measure the amount of liquid.
6. Make a roux. For every cup of broth, combine 1 ½ tablespoons each of butter and all-purpose flour in a pot over medium or medium/low heat. Whisk to smooth and cook, stirring occasionally until the raw flour smell goes away, usually 4-5 minutes.
7. Add the broth to the roux slowly at first to get avoid lumps. Adding more liquid as the paste thickens then whisking smooths it all out. Eventually you can add larger quantities faster.
8. Once all the broth is added, add the diced vegetables, and cook them until tender.
9. Add chicken meat and salt and pepper the soup to taste.

Making dumplings

1. Combine flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, baking powder, baking soda and 4 tablespoons butter. Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour.
2. Slowly add buttermilk, stirring until it just barely forms a loose dough. Do not overwork the dough to avoid tough dumplings. The dough should not be soupy, it should be able to hold a shape.
3. Using a scoop (the size depends on your preference), drop the dough into the soup, carefully covering the top. Try not to place the dumplings on top of each other.
4. Bring the soup to a light simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. Taste one of the dumplings for doneness. They should not have a raw dough taste. They may need a couple more minutes depending on the size of the dumplings.
6. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top of the soup if you like. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.