Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
I have been making this for years, sure beats the frozen version I grew up eating!
I have been making this for years, sure beats the frozen version I grew up eating!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 bayleaf
- dumplings:
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 chicken cut up
- 6 cups chicken stock homemade is best....
- 5 carrots pared and cut into 1/2 inch coins
- Carbohydrate 66.7538390509974 g
- Cholesterol 102.388750022697 mg
- Fat 22.407713775468 g
- Fiber 4.9616025441103 g
- Protein 28.4076268777008 g
- Saturated Fat 9.1100899847085 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (774g)
- Sodium 4149.23253378554 mg
- Sugar 61.7922365068871 g
- Trans Fat 1.87415328990474 g
- Calories 569 calories
Step-by-step
- In a Dutch oven melt butter and brown chicken.
- Add salt, celery, onion, stock, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and pull meat off the bones, returning it to the stock mixture. Remove the 4 peppercorns at this time.
- Add carrots and continue to simmer for 15 more minutes, or until carrots are almost tender.
- Meanwhile, make your dumplings- Combine flour, parsley, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl combine milk, egg and melted butter. Stir wet ingredients into the dry just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Combine the 1/3 cup flour and cold water, stir into stock mixture. Bring mixture back to a boil and continue stirring until it thickens. Stir in peas and return to a slow boil.
- Drop dumplings into soup with spoon and cover, cooking for 12 minutes, or until dumplings are fluffy and the underside is cooked.
Using a plant-based milk instead of dairy changes the hydration rate of the flour, requiring an extra tablespoon of liquid to prevent dense, heavy dough balls. Drop biscuit dough relies on a delicate balance between wet and dry components. Overworking the flour activates gluten networks too early. Stir the milk, egg, and melted butter into the dry mixture strictly until moistened. Lumps must remain visible in the bowl.
Simmering the chicken carcass or pieces in stock extracts gelatin. This natural protein thickens the broth alongside the added flour-and-water slurry. Maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil once the dumplings drop into the Dutch oven. Vigorous bubbles break apart the soft dough before the interior sets. Cover the pot tightly for 12 minutes to trap steam, which cooks the top of each dumpling while the underside absorbs the savory liquid.
Leftover portions thicken significantly overnight as the starches continue absorbing moisture. Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat individual portions over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken stock to restore the original consistency.
