This weekend it poured rain, all day, everyday. So we stayed inside, watched a lot of football, baked an apple cake, and a plum torte, and made my most favorite Chicken and Dumplings. This dish is so cozy, and flavorful, and filling, it’s the perfect rainy day comfort food. But also, it doesn’t need to be raining to enjoy this recipe. It’s lovely no matter what.

When I was in college my roommate at the time would make Chicken and Dumplings that she learned from her Grandma. I quickly became obsessed with this dish, and learning how to recreate for years. And while I have tried many versions from cookbooks and online, this is my go-to method. Because not only does it make a great Chicken and Dumplings, it’s also the base of my chicken and noodle soup, chicken and rice soup, or just a chicken vegetable soup.

I learned this method one day while I was on a restaurant photoshoot watching one of the line cooks prep for the night. I have adapted it from that day, turning it into a back pocket meal we make several times a month. I love the simplicity and rich deep flavors. All you need is chicken, salt, pepper, oil, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and your favorite aromatics.

In your biggest dutch oven, warm your oil (I use olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or even coconut oil) over medium-high heat and place your bone-in chicken skin side down in the pot. You want to get your chicken really crispy. Normally around 8 minutes give or take. Flip the chicken and crisp the bottom side too. The goal is to help create a deep flavor in your pot with all of those chicken bits. Once all of your chicken is crispy on all sides, set it on a plate to the side andI add the vegetables. Soften them up for just about 4-6 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pot, some herbs (like tarragon, bay leaves, thyme), pour in some broth so that it comes 3/4 way up the chicken, cover and simmer for 1 hour. *Note, you can simmer this for 1 hour on your stove, or you can place the pot in the oven at 350 for 1 hour, either way is great.

After an hour the chicken will be so tender. Remove, allow to cool so you don’t burn your fingers, then discard the skin and bones. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and there you have the most perfect base for soups or dumplings.

If we are making Chicken and Dumplings, then I’ll thicken up the broth with a roux. If we are leaving this as a soup by either adding some cooked pasta or rice, then I will leave the broth as is. Note, we often eat this as is, without pasta or rice, as a rich chicken vegetable soup, it’s that good.

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS:
6 chicken legs (or a combination of thighs and legs)
2 tablespoons olive oil (vegetable oil or coconut oil)
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4” thick
4 celery, sliced 1/4” thick
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
2-4 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon dried tarragon (or 1 fresh sprig)
32 ounces Chicken Broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Parsley, chopped, for garnish

DUMPLING INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/3 cups heavy cream

STEPS:
Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to not overcrowd the chicken, sear chicken skin side down for about 8-10 minutes until very golden and crisp. Flip the chicken and continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes crisping up the bottom. Transfer chicken to a large plate, and continue until all chicken is golden and crisp on all sides.

Reduce heat to medium, and add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to help scrape up the chicken bits. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have started to soften. Add the bay leaves, thyme, tarragon and chicken back to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover and cook over a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the tender chicken, allow to slightly cool while you make your roux. In a small saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat, add in the 1/4 cup of flour and whisk together. The mixture will go from liquid, to thick paste, then to a loose paste. We are looking for a light roux, not a darker roux which is more for gravy. This will only take a few minutes. Scrape your roux into the dutch oven and stir together over medium-low heat. Allow this to simmer and thicken while you work on your chicken. If you are looking for a thicker consistency of broth, you can always make an additional roux. This is all about preference. Just note, the broth will thicken as the dumplings are simmering.

Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the meat and add back to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally while you make your dumplings and the liquid thickens.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the heavy cream and gently combine with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined, try not to over-mix.

Using a large spoon, or ice cream scoop (I use a cookie dough scoop), drop dumpling dough into the pot, spacing them out so ideally they do not touch. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 17-20 minutes until they are puffed and cooked through. Do not uncover the pot until you reach 17 minutes. From there you can begin testing for doneness. I like to use a cake tester, but you can also remove one and cut in half. If it needs more time, cover the pot back up and go for another 4-6 minutes.

Serve with chopped parsley for garnish.