Saturday, September 26, 2009

Chicken and Dumplings

A favorite recipe of my daughter, this chicken and dumplings recipe is perfect for the crockpot . Make sure to use a stewing chicken - if you can't find one at your grocery store, use a couple cans of chicken broth instead of water. Frying chicken just doesn't make a flavorful chicken stock. It's hard to find stewing chickens these days. Locally, Sparrow Meat Market in Kerrytown has them, as well as Hillier's Market. This year, I have ordered some stewing chickens from Back Forty Acres when I visited the Chelsea Farmers Market a few weeks ago. I asked the gal behind the table if her stewing chicken had a lot of flavor, and she said "absolutely the best" so I signed up for 5. I took her at her word because she was wearing a sash that read Homemaker of the Year and a rhinestone tiara. (it was the day of the Chelsea Fair Parade - I am sure this isn't her usual farmer's market getup). It's going to be a great fall!

Chicken and Dumplings

3 lb. stewing chicken, cut up
2 medium onions, peeled and cut in half
3 stalks celery
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 t poultry seasoning
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 c water, divided
1/4 c flour

For the dumplings

3/4 c flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1 T. snipped parsley
1/2 t dried thyme or dill
1/4 c milk
2 tsp vegetable oil

Put vegetables in the bottom of a large crock pot (or dutch oven in you are camping), and place chicken on top of vegetables. Add seasonings and 3 c. water and cover, cook on low for at least 8 hours. Remove chicken from pot and turn crock pot on high. Remove chicken from bones and return to the pot. Mix 1/2 c. water with 1/4 c. flour and stir in broth to thicken and cover.

Make dumplings by mixing dry ingredients and herbs in a small bowl. Mix milk and oil and add to dry ingredients and stir with a fork until combined. Drop by spoonfuls on top of chicken stew - make about 4-6 dumplings, and cover and cook for 15 minutes in crock pot on high. Do not remove lid to check for doneness until 15 minutes have elapsed. Check with a toothpick and see if the dumplings are done after 15 minutes; if not, cook 5 minutes longer with the lid on.

2 comments:

Lauren said...

This is great. I've never made dumplings before and was thinking about trying soon...perfect timing! Now I have a recipe to use! Thanks

Jen said...

This is so funny - I just made chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight. I like your dumpling recipe - I think they would be lighter than mine. I had a whole bunch of root veggies to use up, so I put in carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, kohlrabi and then put chicken chunks on top, then 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock that I had. It was good. I make my dumplings with flour, baking soda, salt, butter and buttermilk.