Chicken Stew with Dumplings

I happened to stop by my sister Maria's house earlier this week when she was making Chicken Stew with Dumplings. I had already eaten but I had a small bowl of it and it was delicious! It is a very hearty soup, and the addition of dumplings makes it even better! Using chicken thighs works best, as they don't dry out as much as chicken breasts would. I use about 4 chicken thighs and make this in my 5.5-quart dutch oven or my 6.75-qt wide round dutch oven. This is a great fall or winter recipe!

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

Recipe Courtesy Williams-Sonoma

 

To add extra flavor to the stew, you can make cheese or herb dumplings. Simply stir 1 cup grated cheddar or Asiago cheese or 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives, basil or parsley into the dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe.

 

Stew:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 Tablespoons butter

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

½ cup baby peas

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

 

Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup milk

 

Cook the chicken and vegetables
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter (or you can use olive oil). Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the broth, add the peas and bring to a boil.

Make the dumpling dough
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 8 tablespoons of butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of peas. Add milk and stir, then knead a few times until the mixture forms a soft dough.

Finish the stew
Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough over the top of the boiling stew. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook until the dumplings have nearly doubled in size, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

 

Serves 4.