Classic Chicken and Dumplings
This is one of our all-time favorite recipes, and for good reason: it’s a modern take on a comforting classic. Browning the chicken first gives the dish its flavor, and eliminates the need for chicken broth. Here’s how it works: you’ll season the chicken and brown it in batches, then transfer it to a plate. Then, you’ll add your veggies to the pot with the chicken drippings, which will give them all sorts of delicious flavor. And let’s not forget the dumplings. It takes just six pantry ingredients (plus a pinch of salt and pepper) to create fluffy, delicious dumplings that make the soup simply irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve the pot.
- Add the celery, carrots, onions, thyme, and garlic to the drippings in the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and return it to the pot (discarding the skin and bones).
- Whisk together ½ cup of the flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make the dumplings: Whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonfuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
