The Ultimate Chicken and Dumplings
Hands-on time: 1¼ hours Total time: 1½ hours Makes: 8 servings
Stew:
6 strips bacon, chopped 2 tsp olive oil 1 pkg (227 g) cremini mushrooms, quartered 900 g boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 onions, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 3 ribs celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup all-purpose flour 4 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth 1 cup dry white wine 500 g yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 bay leaf ½ tsp dried marjoram ½ tsp dried savory ½ tsp pepper ¼ tsp salt 1 cup frozen peas ⅔ cup whipping cream (35%) ½ cup frozen corn ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Dumplings: 1½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp each chopped fresh parsley and fresh chives 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 2 tbsp cold butter, cubed ⅔ cup buttermilk
Stew: In Dutch oven or large heavybottomed saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl. Set aside. In small bowl, reserve 3 tbsp of fat from pan (add olive oil if needed to make 3 tbsp). Discard any remaining fat. Set aside. In same pan, heat oil over medium heat; cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add to bowl with bacon. In same pan, heat half of the reserved fat over medium heat; working in batches, cook chicken, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to separate bowl. Add 2 tbsp water to pan, scraping up browned bits. Scrape into bowl with chicken. Set aside. In same pan, heat remaining reserved fat over medium heat; cook onions, carrots and celery, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour; cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and wine until smooth. Add potatoes, bay leaf, marjoram, savory, pepper and salt. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Return to pan. Stir in mushroom mixture, peas, cream, corn and parsley; bring to simmer.
Dumplings: While stew is simmering, in bowl, whisk together flour, parsley, chives, thyme, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. Stir in buttermilk to form sticky dough. On large sheet of parchment paper, roll out dough into 7-inch long log; cut crosswise into 8 generous ¾-inch thick rounds, reshaping if necessary. Add to stew; cook, covered and without lifting lid, until dumplings are no longer doughy underneath, about 15 minutes.
PER SERVING:
about 568 cal, 34 g pro, 25 g total fat (11 g sat. fat), 50 g carb (6 g dietary fibre, 8 g sugar), 138 mg chol, 874 mg sodium, 1,000 mg potassium. % RDI: 12% calcium, 29% iron, 83% vit A, 30% vit C, 44% folate.