Chicken and Dumplings

You’ll see some Chicken and Dumplings topped with dropped dumplings that are steamed on top of a brothy chicken and vegetable base. Others have kneaded dough dumplings that have been rolled out and cut, then simmered in a flavorful broth with chicken and vegetables. In both cases the flour in the dumplings helps to thicken the broth.

The Chicken and Dumplings below are the dropped version. I found this recipe in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook when I was just out of college. It’s so good, I’ve never even tried another one–though I did tweak this one a bit over the years. Both of my girls have always loved Chicken and Dumplings, and they’re Princess Persnickety’s very, very favorite. When I told her I had to make Chicken and Dumplings this week so I could take pictures, she was absolutely delighted.

The biggest difference between this recipe and Fannie Farmer’s Chicken and Dumplings is that I use a rotisserie chicken and prepared chicken stock. (I also swapped butter for the shortening the dumplings called for, and added the evaporated milk for richness, just FYI.) The original recipe has you poach a whole chicken for an hour or so in water with the aromatics and herbs, then use the poaching liquid as the broth. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think my version has more flavor, and it’s certainly a whole lot quicker. I always buy a plain rotisserie chicken rather than a flavored one, but you can use whichever you prefer.

The dropped dumplings are simple: stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, parsley flakes, butter, and milk, and they’re ready to go. Dropping blobs of batter by heaping spoonfuls into bubbly broth couldn’t be easier. After that, covering the pot and setting a timer for 20 minutes is something you could teach a chimp to do.

I love that Chicken and Dumplings is a meal in itself. No sides are needed–you have protein, starch, and vegetables all in one delicious bowlful. If only for that reason Chicken and Dumplings would be popular with cooks and diners alike, and the fact that it’s so incredibly good is a massive bonus. And please pardon me for waxing sexist, but–much like deviled eggs–I’ve yet to serve this Chicken and Dumplings to a man who didn’t REALLY, REALLY, REALLY love it. Every time I run across a reference to the viral recipe Marry Me Chicken, I’m amused. That chicken is pretty good I admit, but this Chicken and Dumplings is a MUCH better bet.

Best wishes!

Print Recipe

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

Chicken mixture:

• 3 T. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 T. flour
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 1 4" sprig fresh rosemary, or 1 t. dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. pepper
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken, off the bone, roughly chopped

Dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. parsley flakes
• ¾ cup milk
• 4 T. melted butter

Instructions

• Melt butter in a Dutch oven with a lid. Sauté onions, carrots and celery until soft but not browned.
• Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Add the stock, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken, turn the heat to medium low. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Cover.
• Once the chicken is in the pot, make the dumpling dough by mixing the dry ingredients then adding the milk and butter. Using a fork, stir just until evenly moistened. The texture will be somewhere between a batter and a dough.
• Uncover the broth--it should be bubbling, but certainly not at a hard rolling boil. Fish out the rosemary spring if you used fresh rosemary. Carefully drop the dough by the heaping tablespoonful into the bubbling broth. Drop them in different spots--they will bob to the surface as they cook--so the dumplings will remain separated. Do not stir. Put the lid back on and steam without lifting the lid for 20 minutes.
• Serve in soup bowls with a couple of dumplings in each bowl.