Chicken Stew with Dumplings
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 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives, basil or parsley into the dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 2 Tbs. butter
- 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 cups plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup baby peas
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Cook the chicken and vegetables
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the 2 Tbs. butter. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the 2 Tbs. 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 the 2 cups flour, the baking powder and the 1 tsp. salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the 8 Tbs. butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of peas. Add the 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.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008).