Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings
This updated version of old-fashioned chicken and dumplings starts with store-bought chicken stock, a rotisserie chicken, and simple drop dumplings.
This updated version of old-fashioned chicken and dumplings starts with store-bought chicken stock, a rotisserie chicken, and simple drop dumplings. It was inspired by many Yankee variations over the years, including “Potted Chicken with Parsley-Bread Dumplings” from October 1942.
Yield:
8 servingsFor the soup
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1 leek (white and light green parts only), diced
1 small onion (any kind), diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
½ fennel bulb, cored and diced (reserve fronds for garnish)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
Meat from a 2- or 3-pound rotisserie chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add all the vegetables, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings.
For the dumplings
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir in the butter with a fork until well distributed. The mixture will look crumbly. Add the buttermilk and gently stir with a spatula just until the dough comes together.
Add the chicken to the soup pot, then use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop out golf ball–size dumplings and drop them into the broth. Cover the pot and cook until the dumplings are fully cooked, 10 to 12 minutes more. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds, and serve.
