CHICKEN STEW WITH FLUFFY DUMPLINGS
The style used in this recipe hails from my pocket of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We make fluffy, biscuit-like dumplings and let them float like clouds atop a simple stew studded with chunks of chicken, bright orange carrots and flecks of herbs. It would be lovely for someone who is under the weather, but it’s fantastic when you’re well, too. This has some steps, but not one of them is difficult or finicky, and the results repay you for every moment and each effort. Such beautiful soup — bubbling up around the fluffy dumplings, perfuming your kitchen, evoking grins from everyone at your table.
For the stew: 1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken 4 cups chicken stock 2 whole onions, quartered, plus 1 cup chopped 3 large carrots, cut into large chunks, plus 1 1/2 cups chopped 4 ribs (with leaves) celery, cut into large chunks, plus 3/4 cup chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 to 3 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. butter or vegetable oil 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper For the dumplings: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes and chilled 2 Tbsp. lard, vegetable shortening, or butter, chilled 3/4 cup half-and-half, evaporated milk, or milk 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
To make the stew: Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven or stockpot and add the stock, quartered onions, carrot and celery chunks, garlic, thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover the chicken. Bring it to an active boil over mediumhigh heat. As soon as it boils, lower the heat to maintain a gentle but visible simmer until the chicken is cooked to the bone, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large platter or bowl, leaving the chicken broth and vegetables in the Dutch oven. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and add them to the broth. Continue cooking the broth over medium heat for 45 minutes more.
Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken into big, bite-size pieces. Cover and refrigerate it. Strain the broth into a large bowl and discard the bones and vegetables. Measure the broth; you should have about 8 cups. If you don’t have that much, add water to make 8 cups.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped carrots, chopped onion, chopped celery, thyme leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir to coat. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved broth and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, if needed, and the pepper. Stir in the reserved chicken and heat it through. Keep the stew warm over low heat.
To make the dumplings: Put the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to work in the butter and lard until the mixture is crumbly and flecked with thin flakes of fat. When pressed against the back of your thumb, a bit of the mixture should cling like a small leaf. Slowly stir in the half-and-half. The dough should be soft and sticky, but firm enough to hold together on a spoon.
Bring the chicken stew to a low boil over medium-high heat. Stir in most of the parsley, reserving a generous pinch to add at serving time.
Using a 1-ounce scoop or two spoons, make golf ball–size dumplings from the soft dough and place them gently on the surface of the stew, spacing them evenly around the pot.
Cover the pot and cook until the dumplings are firm, fluffy and fairly dry on top, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved parsley over the dumplings and serve at once. Serves 8.