HOMEMADE DUMPLINGS FOR CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS RECIPES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.  Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.  In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.  While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.  Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.  Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. *Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Steps:

• Add chicken, broth, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder and bay leaf to a wide stock pot or dutch oven. Cover then bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. Once broth is bubbling, reduce heat to low then cook, covered, for 2-3 hours, or until legs and thighs are pulling apart from the body and the chicken is very tender. See notes.
• Remove chicken from broth; set aside. Strain broth into a large bowl or pitcher, discarding bay leaf and loose bones or skin; set broth aside.
• Melt butter in the (now empty) pot then cook celery, carrots and onion over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add flour, stir well, then continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Slowly stir reserved broth in with vegetables. Continue stirring until completely smooth. Reduce heat to low and cover.
• Remove skin and bones from chicken then shred or cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Prepare dumplings.
• Heat pot with broth over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Add chicken. Gently drop dumplings, one at a time, into gently boiling broth. Take care to drop dumplings away from other freshly dropped dumplings as they will stick to each other before they have a chance to cook.
• Once all of the dumplings are in the pot, sprinkle with additional pepper then cover pot. Reduce heat to medium-low then allow to cook for 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.
• Serve immediately.
• Place milk in a wide, shallow bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill. This will help to separate the melted butter when we pour it in so that our dumplings are very much like actual biscuits without the fuss of actually making biscuits.
• Melt the butter then set aside.
• Combine flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and thyme in a mixing bowl then whisk to combine; set aside.
• Slowly drizzle melted butter into chilled milk, stirring with a fork until combined. The mixture should look like curdled milk or cottage cheese.
• Add milk mixture to flour mixture then stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until just combined.
• If making Drop Dumplings: scoop portions of dough with two teaspoons or use a cookie scoop (I used a 1” cookie scoop in the ones pictured here) then drop into gently boiling broth.
• If making Rolled Dumplings: Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface then sprinkle with more flour. Roll into desired thickness (anticipate they will double in thickness when cooked). Cut into squares or rectangles (however your granny did it) then drop into gently boiling broth.