Tyler Florence's ... Chicken and Dumplings

Warm, comforting and the most perfect Chicken and Dumplings courtesy of Tyler Florence at Food Network.

Place chicken and all stock ingredients into a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skimming the surface of fat and scum as it cooks. When done remove the chicken to a cutting board and let cool. Strain the stock and reserve for the sauce. Shred the chicken into big pieces and set aside.

Preparing the sauce; in Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook 2 minutes to coat the veggies with the flour and remove the starchy taste.

Slowly pour the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions. Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. At this point prepare batter for the dumplings.

Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture.  Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Ingredients

Chicken and Stock:

1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole organic chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split through the equator
2 tablespoons salt


Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk


Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish


Directions
For the stock:

Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.

For the dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.

To prepare sauce:
In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Notes:
I did not have any pearl onions on hand and decided to just saute some yellow onion with veggies instead. It worked just fine in pinch. I do love pearl onions and will use them the next time I prepare this dish.
I also did not have any fresh chives, so I just chopped the tops off a few small green onions.


  We both fell in love with this recipe. It is a simple, down home (grandma's) type of recipe. Unpretentious and not over powered by grand amounts of herbs and spices. You really can enjoy the flavor of each ingredient.  My mother also tried this recipe and said it was just okay and she really wasn't impressed. She says she likes her recipe better, although she has yet to divulge that one to me. Nor do I remember it from my youth. She wil let me taste it though next time and hopefully relinquish the recipe she uses.

Give this a try yourself and let us know what you think. We think it's a keeper. It was just as simple to make completely from scratch as it is using the stock in a box and bisquick method and tastes like homemade with love. It is a perfect winter comfort food, though I would make this any time of the year.
Michael and Carla