Slippery dumplings are a genuine marvel
Every year, I join a few friends for a weekend away in an old house. The first night’s dinner is always roast chicken. As the designated cook, I know that Sunday’s dinner lurks in the remains of that bird — one that will warm bellies with only a little bit of effort. I simmer the bones with onion, carrot and herbs to make stock, and then, about an hour before we sit down to eat, I stir together the simple ingredients for slippery dumplings. In the spirit of this column, let me introduce you to this satisfying and frugal meal fit for a crowd.
Served at fire department fundraisers and community gatherings in downstate Delaware, and on the special menu at family-owned restaurants, Chicken and Slippery Dumplings is a tradition in which decades of commerce dependent on the broiler chicken industry meant a chicken was in every pot.
Slickers or slickies or slippery dumplings, it doesn’t matter what you call them: The star component is a hybrid of thick noodle and flat dumpling. Even the most meager pantry can yield an expansive meal that is just right when you have offered to make supper for your weekend host, when a friend needs a pick-me-up or when the kids are looking at you with hungry written all over their faces.
The chicken stock is a key player in this barebones recipe, so I always make my own. The more flavorful, rich and full-bodied it is, the better the final dish will be. (This is not a novel concept — the same may be said about any recipe that calls for stock as a base. But there are so few elements in this dish that each one adds enormously to the flavor party.)
In the world of slippery dumplings, there are many variations. Some recipes use eggs, others call for milk; some moisten the flour with the fat skimmed from the surface of homemade chicken broth, while still others go with melted butter instead. Each of these recipes makes tender, chewy dumplings that depend on a fat for their quintessential slickness, as well as gathering any fats from the stock, once they have been introduced into the liquid. Their pillowy, rolled-out dough does not need to rise nor does it require any kind of careful handling. It is about as simple and straightforward as a recipe can get: Stir, rest, knead, roll, cut and cook.
It is a very sticky dough; as you roll the dumplings, you’ll use a lot of flour — not a dusting, but a true blizzard. Flour your hands, coat the pin, the work surface and the dough as well. Once the dumplings are cut, toss them in more flour to avoid any sticking or clumping. In fact, the flour plays an important role in the dish. When those floury dumplings are added to the boiling stock, the liquid becomes almost opaque. They must be cooked as soon as they’re all formed; because the dough can get gummy, it does not perform well when made in advance. (The dumplings don’t survive reheating, either, I have found.)
I have served this dish a dozen times. Each time, I feel like an alchemist, converting meager bits of this and that into an irresistible stew. And every time, family and friends lift their bowls to their lips to slurp the last bits, unashamedly. It’s that good.
Serve it soon, when you’re the designated cook, and see whether your people do the same.
Chicken and Slippery Dumplings
8 servings
This dish is best served right after it is made; it does not reheat well (the dumplings turn tough), and it cannot be frozen.
From columnist Cathy Barrow.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
¾ teaspoon baking powder Up to 1 teaspoon kosher salt M cup whole milk
8 cups no-salt-added chicken broth, preferably homemade
3 medium carrots, scrubbed well and cut crosswise into ½inch disks (about 2 cups)
1 rib celery, cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish Directions
Stir together 1¾ cups of the flour, the baking powder and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a mixing bowl. Form a well in the center, pour in the milk and use a fork to bring the flour into the milk, stirring to form a shaggy ball of dough. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel; let the dough rest for 10 minutes (while the flour absorbs the moisture).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust the paper with about half of the remaining flour. Dust the work surface generously with the other half. Flour the rolling pin. Do not hesitate to add more flour along the way; the dough should not stick to the pin or the rolling surface, and the dumplings should look floury when you are finished.
Knead the dough on the floured surface about 20 times, then roll out the dough into a rectangle 14 by 9 inches and about ¼-inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or a very sharp knife to cut 1½-inch squares of dough. As you do this, toss them onto the floured baking sheet to keep them from sticking together and use your hands to fluff all the dumplings in flour as more are added. If the dumplings stick, use an offset spatula to release them.
Pour the broth into a wide 4quart pot; bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Gently drop in the dumplings, a few at a time. Once they all have been added, stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low, so small bubbles are rising to the surface at a regular rate. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dumplings are almost tender. Add the carrots and celery; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring here and there. Stir in the chicken and pepper, taste and salt, as needed, up to the remaining ½ teaspoon. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes, until the dumplings are tender yet chewy, the carrots are cooked through and the broth has thickened a bit.
Serve in warm bowls, topped with a sprinkling of parsley.
Nutrition | Per serving: 200 calories, 14 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar