Lighter Chicken & Dumplings

Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles is one of my favorite bloggers. I find myself going to her blog constantly, and this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated is another reason why. This was a delicious recipe that I am happy to have leftovers of and will definitely be making again. I loved that the broth was rich and flavorful with a nice balance of broth vs. “stuff”. That being said, I did add some extra carrot and celery pieces at the end to give a little more crunch, Bridget’s idea, not mine. I think the best part of this dish were the dumplings. They were perfectly fluffy with a dry, not dense, center that was a delicious compliment to the overall dish. Yes, this was the perfect dish for a cold Wisconsin evening.

Ingredients:

Stew:

• 6 bone-in, skin-on Chicken Thighs (about 2½ pounds), trimmed of excess fat
  
• Salt
  
• Black Pepper, freshly ground
  
• 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
  
• 2 small Onions, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)
  
• 2 medium Carrots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 2 cups) + 1 carrot cut on the bias into ½” pieces
  
• 1 medium Celery rib, chopped fine (about ½ cup) + 1 celery rib, cut on the bias into ½ “pieces
  
• ¼ cup dry Sherry
  
• 6 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
  
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, minced, or ½ tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
  
• 1 lb Chicken Wings
  
• ¼ Fresh Parsley, chopped
  

Dumplings:

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
  
• 1 tsp Sugar
  
• 1 tsp Salt
  
• ¾ cup Buttermilk
  
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
  
• 1 Large Egg White
  

Directions:

Stew:

1. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook until skin is crisp and well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, 5 to 7 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot.
   
2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, with any accumulated juices, to pot and add chicken wings. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 minutes.
   
3. Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface using wide spoon or ladle. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin from chicken. Using fingers or fork, pull meat from chicken thighs (and wings, if desired) and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return meat to pot.
   

Dumplings:

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.
   
2. Return stew to simmer; stir in parsley, and remaining carrot and celery pieces, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Using greased tablespoon measure (or #60 portion scoop), scoop level amount of batter and drop over top of stew, spacing about ¼ inch apart (you should have about 24 dumplings). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.