Chicken and Dumplings

It's a blustery Easter Sunday in Wellington. Gale force winds, slightly wet, and totally cloudy. Our cat Pushkin spent the day next to the window, twisted in a pretzel, looking up occasionally to see if there's anything going on outside except for leaves swishing about with the raindrops.

I fashioned some chicken and dumplings from scratch, making my own chicken stock from a whole stewing hen since there's very little else to do today except listen to Nick Cave, write and eat. Most retail outlets are closed and the weather hasn't cooperated at all for outdoor activities.

The dumplings were light and fluffy, and it's really good with homemade broth as the base. I'm using the leftovers tonight to make a pot pie, covering the creamy stew with a phyllo pastry "crown."

Chicken and Dumpling Recipe

Stew Base:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
4 cups of chicken stock (see homemade chicken stock recipe)
1/2 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
1 cooked chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp finely chopped green onions
1/2 large carrot, chopped into bite-sized coins or half coins
1 large leek, white part only, cut into bite-sized coins
sea salt
fine white pepper

Dumplings:
5 tbsp of polenta
6 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, small dice
1/4 cup whole milk
1 egg
2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley

Make the stew first. Make roux with melted butter, dried spices and flour on low-medium heat. Using a metal whisk, stir constantly until flour and butter bubble and cook to a golden brown. Gently pour in your chicken stock, one cup at a time as you keep whisking to make the sauce smooth. Boil gently until sauce is thick like pancake syrup. Add chicken and vegetables, including the green onions, and stir until mixed through. Salt and pepper to your taste, although make sure your stew isn't too salty as you'll be adding the dumplings later and can adjust the salt to taste at the end. Turn heat to low and simmer (very little bubbles) while you make the dumplings.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Throw the butter pieces into the dry mix and incorporate loosely. It should look somewhat chunky. In separate bowl, whisk egg, milk and parsley together until blended thoroughly and pour into dry mixture, stirring until you get a wet dough. Using a soup spoon, make rounded dumplings and drop into stew. Cook until dumplings are done, about 15-20 minutes. You can check by cutting one of the dumplings in half. If the middle looks like a corn muffin, it's done. Taste and add salt or pepper if desired.

Spoon a few dumplings, chicken and vegetables into a bowl and serve hot. It's delicious with a simple arugula salad with vinaigrette or crusty french bread on the side.