Chicken & Dumplings

I’m a bachelorette again this weekend, and we know what that means.

Ever since my mother gave me her old stew pot (which she got as a wedding gift in 1953), I’ve been craving chicken and dumplings. This pot was used for all kinds of good food – chili, pot roast, stew, soup. But most of all, I remember the chicken and dumplings. That used to be what I’d ask for as my birthday meal.

So I took the opportunity this weekend to make it. It was just the thing after having been under the weather for a few days. (I’m fine now – just nasty sinus headaches.) And it’s ever so easy to make. Wanna see?

First you throw some celery and onion in the pot, top with a whole chicken (don’t forget to remove the giblets!), and add water.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender. Then throw in some diced potatoes and carrots. And some herbs, if you feel like it.

Cover and simmer again, until the potatoes and carrots are done. The time will, of course, depend on how large your vegetable pieces are. Then turn off the heat and remove the chicken. Now comes the messy part. Let it cool for a bit so you don’t burn your fingers, then remove the meat from the skin and bones. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and put it back in the pot. OK, hard part’s over.

Bring the stew back to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix up the dumpling batter. When the stew is simmering again, drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the top of the mixture.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the dumplings are cooked. Don’t lift the lid during this time – you need to have the steam to cook the dumplings. This pot has a glass lid, which makes it perfect for this recipe, since you can see what’s going on without lifting the lid. Dumplings are done!

Mmmmm. Just like mom’s. Maybe I should pack some up for her.

This is the point at which I do a happy dance, and start singing the opening lines from “Cheek to Cheek”:

Heaven, I’m in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak…

Trust me, I can neither sing nor dance. It’s not a pretty sight.

It’s much better if you go here and see it done right. This is the full scene (6:25), in high quality. For just the song portion (2:25), in a lower quality, go here.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 stewing chicken (5-6 lb). Realistically, I don’t think you can find these any more unless you’re raising your own chickens. The best you’ll probably find is a 3-ish pound young chicken.

chopped fresh parsley
1 medium onion, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
3 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed or sliced
1½ to 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Dumplings:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp salad oil

Put the celery, onion, and parsley in a large pot. Add salt and pepper. Put the chicken on top. Add enough water to come half-way up the sides of the chicken. Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes, until the chicken is fork-tender.

Add carrots and potatoes, cover, and continue to cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15-20 minutes. At this point, you could add some additional herbs if you feel like it. I added a little bit of chopped fresh rosemary, and a little more parsley.

Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool a bit, then remove the meat from the bones. Tear the meat into bite-sized pieces, and return the meat to the pot. Taste and correct seasonings. Bring the stew back to a simmer. If you like peas, feel free to throw some in (fresh or frozen) at this time.

Prepare dumplings: Mix flour, baking powder, salt, milk and oil just until moistened. Drop by spoonfuls into pot. Cook, covered, 15 minutes or until dumplings are done.