Description
Hearty chicken and herb dumplings stew offers comfort from grandma’s kitchen, blending rustic flavors with homemade goodness. Warm bowls invite diners to savor rich broth, tender chicken, and pillowy herb-infused dumplings that promise satisfaction.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 32 fl oz / 1 quart chicken stock
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsps butter
- 4 tbsps butter, melted
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsps freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté Base: Melt butter in a Dutch oven and create a golden foundation by sautéing onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables become translucent and fragrant.
- Thicken Mixture: Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture, stirring thoroughly to create a smooth roux that will provide depth and consistency to the stew.
- Build Liquid Foundation: Gradually whisk evaporated milk and chicken stock into the vegetable base, ensuring a smooth integration without lumps while bringing the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Infuse Protein and Seasonings: Incorporate shredded chicken, fresh thyme, black pepper, and salt, allowing the ingredients to meld and develop a rich, complex flavor profile.
- Prepare Dumplings: In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and create a well for wet components, gently mixing milk and melted butter into the flour mixture until a cohesive dough forms.
- Cook Dumplings: Carefully drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough into the simmering stew, ensuring even spacing and partial submersion, then cover and steam for 15-18 minutes until dumplings are fluffy and fully cooked.
- Serve and Enjoy: Ladle the steaming chicken and dumpling stew into serving bowls, presenting a comforting and hearty meal that promises warmth and satisfaction.
Notes
- Butter Browning Technique: Melt butter slowly to develop a rich, golden base that enhances the stew’s overall depth of flavor and creates a delicious starting point.
- Vegetable Softening Secret: Sauté onions, carrots, and celery precisely 5 minutes to unlock their natural sweetness and create a flavor-packed foundation for the dish.
- Flour Coating Trick: Dust vegetables with flour carefully, ensuring even distribution to prevent clumping and create a smooth, velvety texture in the final stew.
- Dumpling Consistency Mastery: Adjust liquid gradually when mixing dumpling dough, aiming for a soft, barely-mixed texture that ensures light and fluffy dumplings when cooked.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 890 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg