Southern Comfort 101: Chicken and Dumplings

Not to sound too cliché for this time of year, but the very old saying stands true, “April showers bring May flowers.” And, if you are an East Coaster, the winter coat you have been attempting to put away for the season goes right alongside your umbrella and ever-so fashionable rain boots as Old Man Winter has yet to truly go into hibernation.

While springtime is fighting for its official arrival, what better way to celebrate the lingering moments of chilly weather than with a Southern Comfort favorite, chicken and dumplings?  Once a staple on American dinner tables during the Great Depression, bowls of chicken and dumplings are a must-have in the south during cooler weather.  Not to worry, they are just as tasty during the beginning of the warmer seasons as you endeavor the use of left-over pile of firewood.  

Unlike Asian dumplings which are filled with savory surprises, the more Southern version is dense dough shaped into miniature biscuits and poached in the soup’s broth.  The starches in the dumplings thicken the liquid as they cook turning what is considered your basic chicken soup into a creamier stew, minus the actual cream. 

Some, like me would consider chicken and dumplings “peasant food.” Every scrap of ingredients can be used in the preparation, plus for the amount of food that is made it’s possible to be an adequate amount to rupture your belt, but it’s hardly enough to break the bank.  Hence, as mentioned above a common menu item during the Great Depression.  Also to mention the fact that chicken and dumplings are a one-pot meal this lends a hand with clean-up.  This meal just keeps getting better and better!

My mom has been notorious for a few really remarkable evening repasts, with her chicken and dumplings making the top of the “The Moore Family’s Most Memorable Dinners List.”  She did take a few shortcuts (canned biscuit dough), but respects are to be paid to any cook who can take the simplest of ingredients and turn them into a food memory.  Thanks Mom!

Below is a classic recipe for chicken and dumplings.  Use this recipe as a base and use your imagination on ways to deviate from the recipe to create your own food memory.  Here are some ideas: 

• Replace the water in the broth with coconut milk, the parsley with cilantro, and add fresh ginger to the broth.  
• Add some corn and black beans to the dish and garnish with a lime wedge for a more Southwest flavor. 
• Make your dumplings, "flavored" with the addition of herbs, lemon zest, or even black pepper.  

The possibilities are limitless.  Enjoy!

Traditional Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Broth:

1 2 ½ -3 pound whole chicken

1 carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

1 onion, cut into large chunks

4 cloves whole garlic

1 bay leaf

6 whole peppercorns

1 bunch fresh parsley, ¼ reserved for later, chopped.

Water, enough to cover

2 Tablespoons salt

Dumplings:

2 cups All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons butter, cubed

1 large egg

½ cup whole milk

Added Vegetables:

2 carrots, medium dice

3 stalks celery, medium dice

1 onion medium dice

Procedure:

1. In a large pot, place whole chicken, large diced vegetables, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt in the bottom.  Add just enough water so that the chicken is completely covered. Place pot over a medium-high flame, and bring water to a simmer.  Allow water to simmer for approximately 1 hour to release all flavors from the ingredients. 

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl begin to prepare the dumplings.  Place flour, salt, baking soda, and diced butter in the bowl and begin to incorporate the solid butter into the flour. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles pea size particles. Add the egg and milk and knead all ingredients until a large mass of dough is formed. 

3. After the stock pot has simmered for approximately 1 hour, remove the chicken and set aside.  Allow the chicken to cool just enough so that it can be managed with your hands.  Strain the liquid into another pot, skimming some of the fat off of the top and bring broth back to a simmer.  Discard the vegetables, herbs, and spices.  

4. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, begin removing the meat from the bone.  Shred the chicken into smaller bite-size pieces. **Note if you see that the chicken is not fully cooked, don’t be alarmed!  It will finish cooking once the shredded pieces are placed back into the cooking liquid.

5.  Add shredded chicken and medium diced vegetables to simmering broth.  Cook the vegetables until tender. 

6. With a standard size dinner spoon or with your hands, begin forming small dumplings from the mix. The size can be up to you, but I would recommend no larger than the size of a golf ball.  They don’t have to be perfectly the same size.  This is “peasant food,” remember?  Once you have formed all of the dumplings add to the simmering liquid and allow then to cook.  

7. When the dumplings begin to float, allow them to simmer for an additional 7-10 minutes.  They will look slightly “puffed,” and the broth will begin to barely thicken.

8. Portion into bowls and sprinkle with reserved chopped parsley for garnish.

Next week we will brush up on our Southern Comfort Side Dishes.  Collard greens anyone?

Hailee Moore is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute.  She is a professional cook by day and a food writer anytime in between.  When Hailee is not cooking or writing, she can be found running or behind a book.