Chicken & Dumplings
This recipe has to be one of my absolute favorites. I had this recipe on my previous food blog, but it has since been adapted. Back in March 2020 when the world shut down, I started cooking more frequently out of my freezer. I had a craving for Chicken & Dumplings, but I didn’t have my usual chicken thighs. I found some chicken drumsticks in the freezer, and it was just about the best thing to ever happen to this recipe. Using drumsticks truly makes this recipe sing, which is nice because they are inexpensive and easy to cook! I hope you enjoy this new version of Chicken & Dumplings because I sure do.
Ingredients
For the soup:
6 chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp. butter
2 cups yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or milk
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Roasted Chicken Better Than Bouillon (optional)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the dumplings:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup half and half or milk
Recipe
Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot
Season chicken drumsticks evenly with salt and pepper
Sear the chicken until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. You may need to do this step in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
Add 2 tbsp. of butter to the pot. Once melted, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Season with a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, half and half, bay leaves, and rosemary to the pot, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, and add the chicken drumsticks back to the pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly pour in the melted butter and incorporate into the flour mixture. The mixture should be crumbly.
Slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of half and half until just incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Let the mixture sit while the chicken finishes cooking.
After the 20 minutes, remove the chicken, rosemary sprig, and bay leaves from the pot and set on a plate to cool.
Add red wine vinegar and Roasted Chicken Better Than Bouillon (optional) to the pot. Taste the broth and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Set the heat to medium low. When the broth is at a gentle simmer, use a 1 tbsp. measuring scoop to add the dumpling mixture.
Cover the pot and allow the dumplings to cook for 15 minutes.
As the dumplings cook, pull the meat off of the cooked chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces.
After 15 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and add the chicken. Taste again for seasoning.
Serve in a big bowl and enjoy!
