What in the world is up with winter this year?? It refuses to end, and keeps dumping storm after storm upon us. At first it was fun, and now it’s just miserable. I’m over the puffy coat, the thick socks, the heavy boots, the endless pairs of tights with holes in the toes (am I the only one who inevitably rips a hole in the toe of her stocking every single time?)
I’m also kind of over heavy winter fare … Sure, Obama-approved short ribs are delicious and beef stew with Dijon mustard and Cognac feel tres cozy on a cold night. But there’s only so much stew a girl can take, especially one who enjoys a beach vacation from time to time. I’m at the point where I dream about bright, herby radish salads and strawberry-basil shortbreads, but alas, yet another March snowstorm has felled me. I’m sick, cold and on Tuesday night, craved nothing more than a bowl full of comfort.
Turning, as I so often do, to Smitten Kitchen, I found an old recipe for chicken and dumplings that seemed doable after a long day of work. I was kind of wrong — it was late by the time I got home, there are a fair amount of steps here, and at two different points, I thought total failure was imminent. Plus I totally forgot to take photos until the end (sorry!) and this is one where a photos would’ve helped, at least to get a sense of the dumpling dough texture.
BUT. It all worked out in the end, and at 10 p.m. (I know.) I was rewarded with a creamy hearty soup, studded with soft, plump dumplings. It hasn’t yet made this winter disappear, but at least it’s made it somewhat more bearable.
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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
For the soup
- 3–1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 celery stalk, trimmed and diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
For the dumplings
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)
Instructions
- Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Working in batches, brown the chicken thighs on both sides until bronzed, 2-3 minutes per side. Pour the chicken fat off into a small heatproof bowl between batches. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the chicken fat and the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until the onions have softened, 7-10 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the wine and scrape up any browned bits. Stir in the milk, broth, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken into the pot, along with any accumulated juices, then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred into pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Discard the bay leaves and allow the stew to settle for a bit, then skim the fat from the surface. Stir the chicken back into the stew.
- Make the dumplings: in a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together. Heat the milk and chicken fat (or butter) until just warm (do not overheat), about 1 minute in the microwave. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a spoon until the dumpling dough is incorporated and smooth.
- Return the stew to a simmer and stir in the peas and chopped parsley. Season to taste. Using two spoons, scoop together golf ball-sized dumplings and plop them into the stew, leaving 1/4-inch gaps between each dumpling (you’ll have 16-18 dumplings).
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15-18 minutes, until the dumplings have doubled in size. Serve.
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