Chicken and Dumplings
29 Oct
Well friends, this is the final entry for Tyler Florence Fridays. Natashya and Deb (who founded the group and graciously allowed me to ride on their blog-tails) had planned on cooking through Tyler’s recipes for one year, and believe it or not, that year is up.
Parting is such sweet sorrow :: sniff ::
It seems fitting that comforting, soothing food is in order – and with that in mind, I made Tyler’s Ultimate Chicken and Dumplings. A perfect wintry dish – and to boot, this recipe was a record of firsts for me:
1. The first time I ever made homemade stock.
2. The first time I ever made homemade dumplings.
Ok, I realize that’s only two, but work with me here.
I was proud of myself, because sometimes, I’ll put a lot of work into trying something new, and it flops. Which really gets to me – but this was outstanding, and therefore became another recipe that will go into my repertoire for the winter.
And what’s even better, I had enough leftover stock to use for my pasta e fagioli soup – which made it taste so much better. Even the kids noticed it, which is really saying something.

Not very photogenic, is it?
One note – this recipe does take quite a bit of time to prepare – which is why I spent all day Sunday making it. It truly is worth the time and effort, though, so don’t be put off by the length of ingredients or directions.
Chicken and Dumplings - adapted from Tyler Florence
Chicken and Stock
1 (3 to 3 ½ pound) whole organic chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 tbs. salt
Directions
Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 cup buttermilk
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish
For the stock:
Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces – the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.
For the dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.
To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

























