Seriously Savory Chicken & Dumplings: WCC No 26

The weather here is pushing me to begin thinking about lighter eating.  Okay, so what that really means is eating twice as much of something with half the calories.  Let’s just keep things honest. And the key word  there is thinking which doesn’t exactly burn calories, does it? 

But I know much of the country is still waiting for a sign — any sign — that indicates spring is just around the corner.  With one friend in Michigan reporting more snow, and my mother in New York still feeling the crunch of frost on the ground this morning, I know there are many out there who will still welcome the idea of food that is comforting and delicious.  Food that sends its aroma wafting through the house as you prepare it.  Food that screams from the kitchen, "Order’s UP!" as a steaming bowl of home style deliciousness slides across the counter.

Chicken and Dumplings?   Mmmmm….How long has it been?

Creamy, savory, warm, comforting, and so very easy to make. 

The recipe I happened on to (um…Google? because I couldn’t find the one I saw in a magazine about a month ago) calls for a rotisserie chicken purchased at your local grocer, but I had the time and know that nothing makes a more flavorful sauce than the brown bits left after frying chicken.

So I considered the rotisserie chicken for about two-and-a-half seconds.

That doesn’t mean you can’t try it, but I’ll bet that my version is much, much better.  There is no way shredded rotisserie chicken added to a sauce made from slightly browned veggies can compete.

So put your own spin on it, but try it.  And make more than you can eat, because it’s great left over as well.  It’s a perfect Sunday dinner that allows for an easy Monday night in the kitchen.

What more could we want?

Everyone, let’s review:  1) It can be made in one pot; 2) it’s total comfort food; and 3) it’s tasty left over. 

Chicken & Dumplings

1 T olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 lg. carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 handful fresh snap peas
2 sprigs fresh thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. plus 2 T all purpose flour
3/4 c. chardonnay
1-1/4 c. hot chicken broth
4 chicken thighs (2 lbs.)

2 T flat leafed parsley, chopped
1 T baking powder
1 T chopped chives
1 c. buttermilk
1 lg. egg, beaten

In a Dutch oven or large pot that you can cover or put a lid on, cook chicken thighs skin side down in 1 T olive oil, browning each side well about 20 minutes total, or until a slice made shows the interior to be done and juice is running clear.  Set thighs on some paper towels to cool.  After cool, peel off and discard skin, and remove chicken from the bone in good sized chunks.  Reserve.

Pour off all but 1 T. of fat, leaving browned pieces in the pan.  Add the shallots, carrots, and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown.  Add the snap peas and sprigs of thyme, stirring a few times to mix well.  Add salt & pepper.

Add 2 T of flour over the veggies, sprinkling over all.  Turn the heat to med. high and cook, stirring to make sure the flour cooks and begins to brown — about 2-3 minutes.  The bottom of the pan should have a very nice rich brown crust by now.  Stir in the wine, scraping the brown from the bottom of the pan. 

Add the hot chicken broth 1/2 c. at a time to keep the liquid in the pan simmering.  The sauce in the pan should thicken and begin to bubble before adding more chicken broth.   After all the broth has been added, add the chicken chunks and mix well.  Check seasoning.

Mix 1 c. flour in a bowl with baking powder, chives, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Mix buttermilk and egg together before gently adding them to the dry ingredients, stirring only until just mixed.  Using a large spoon, drop dollops of the dough directly onto the simmering chicken stew spacing them evenly in the pan.  They won’t need to touch one another.

Place a lid on the pan and cook over med. low heat without peeking about 12 minutes or until dumplings are puffy and cooked.  If necessary, continue to cook with the lid removed for 3-5 minutes longer.

Serve by scooping out a dumpling with the chicken stew beneath it and settle it into a bowl.  Sprinkle on some parsley and dig in.

OH!  I almost forgot!  This is my official entry to WCC#26:  Pressure Cooker, Dutch Oven, Crockpot hosted by none other than Her Most Illustrious Highnessest Empressness, Lis of La Mia Cucina who needs to ditch Ohio and move to the land of palm trees, sea gulls, and reach out and touch your neighbor houses so we can cook, eat, talk, eat some more, and then cook, and maybe then talk about cooking and eating.

What are you waiting for, Lis?  Jeeze, already.

Um…and it NOW occurs to me that I adapted this recipe from a source other than a cookbook.  *sigh*

Am I fired now?

I’d fire me.  There is a cookbook where Food & Wine compiles each year’s recipes.  But I don’t own it.  And this particular recipe was only available on line.  Whattadork.

But this is the earliest I’ve EVER submitted anything for a food event before.  Do I get points for that?

Okay.  Whatever.

But try the Chicken & Dumplings.  Left-Overs, anyone?  YUM.  Look at it all nestled in the loaf pan ready to go into the microslave the next day for my hunkster who totally licked the pan.  I’m telling you…it’s good.