Reliable Chicken and Dumplings
These easy chicken and dumplings are perfect for chilly evenings.
Sometimes there’s no need to improve on a classic, especially when it’s as comforting as these easy chicken and dumplings. This dinner is warm and rich, with tons of savory flavor and the piping hot, fluffy dumplings that we all crave with this dish. You’ll make the dumplings from scratch in this recipe, but don’t let that small amount of work worry you. With a food processor, this step is super easy, and the finished chicken and dumplings are more than worth it. We don’t call this recipe “reliable” for nothing.
From the Chef: One of the largest waves of immigration to the United States occurred between 1880 and 1920. By the 1950s and '60s, many of these immigrants had merged their culinary traditions into American cuisine. This eastern European recipe for chicken and dumplings soon became synonymous with American comfort food and remains so to this day.
- Addie Gundry
This recipe is from RecipeLion's 103 Cookbook series, Retro Recipes from the ‘50s and ‘60s: 103 Vintage Appetizers, Dinners, and Drinks Everyone Will Love.
Serves6
Preparation Time30 min
Cooking Time20 min
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless or bone-in
- 2 1/2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
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Place the chicken in a Dutch oven and add the water, onion, parsley, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred into bite-size pieces, discarding any bone and skin. Strain the broth and measure 2 quarts (add water if necessary to reach 2 quarts).
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Return the broth to the same Dutch oven (no need to wash) and bring to a low simmer.
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Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the 2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and the butter together until crumbly. With the motor running, slowly add the milk until the dough clumps together—you may not need the entire amoutn of milk.
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On a work surface lightly dusted with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, scoop the dough from the processor into a rough disc and roll into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares.
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Meanwhile, increase the heat under the pot of broth so the mixture boils, add the chicken, then drop in the squares of dough a few at a time, stirring so they do not stick together. Once all the dumplings are in the pot, cook, occasionally stirring gently, for 20 minutes, or until the dumplings no longer have a raw, floury look.
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Taste the broth to see if it needs additional salt and pepper, then serve in soup bowls, garnished with more chopped parsley.
