Chicken & Dumplings

For tips on perfecting classic chicken and dumplings, I called my mom, who ended up giving me my grandma's recipe. It’s as hand-me-down as it comes: One spoonful instantly made me think of my childhood. This easy comfort food recipe is perfect on a cold night, and simple enough to whip up when you don't feel like making anything. If you’re looking to perfect this Southern staple, keep reading below for all of my top tips on how to make it the best it can be:

How To Make Chicken & Dumplings

INGREDIENTS

Soup

• Onion, Carrots & Celery: For a classic chicken-soup flavor, I start the soup off with the traditional trio of mirepoix veggies, cooked until soft and sweet and just beginning to brown.
• Chicken: A mix of boneless, skinless breasts and thighs gives you the best of both worlds: The breasts provide plenty of juicy, tender white meat, while thighs offer rich robust flavor and lend depth to the soup.
• Broth: I use low-sodium broth to ensure I'm the one holding the reins on the salt. Look for brands that keep their ingredient lists nice and brief. Kettle and Fire, Swanson, and College Inn are few worth seeking out.
• Thyme: Brings a wonderful herbaceous quality to the broth. If you don't feeling like shelling out for fresh thyme, then 1 teaspoon of dried thyme will make a fine substitute.

Dumplings

• Flour: Serves as the backbone of our dumplings. The standard all-purpose variety is all your need here.
• Baking Powder: Lightens the dumplings and puts some spring in their step.
• Egg: Serves as a binder for the dumplings and add some richness of its own.
• Buttermilk: Provides the acid that activates the baking powder, resulting in light and pillowy soft dumplings.
• Heavy Cream: To add some body, I decided to include some heavy cream—it makes a big difference in creating a thick, savory stew.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First up: the soup. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot—a Dutch oven is ideal—over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery just until the onion is nice and translucent and the aromatics are beginning to turn golden around the edges; you're looking at about 7 minutes for this. Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Now stir in the garlic—save the garlic for last so you don't burn it—and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, maybe a minute.

With our flavor base in place, let's turn this into a soup. Pour in the broth and add a few sprigs of thyme. Now add the chicken; I love the textural variety and oomph of flavor that comes from mixing white and dark meat, but this soup will still be delicious if made with breasts or thighs only. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of one of the breasts should register 165°). Expect this to take about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred with two forks (or cut into cubes if you prefer). Keep the soup at a gentle simmer while you make the dumplings.

Dumpling time! Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using your hands, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Crack the egg into the well and add the buttermilk and melted butter. Now whisk just until combined and the batter comes together; don't overmix or you'll push the dumplings toward dense and tough rather than light and fluffy.

Add the shredded chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir in the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer.

Using a small cookie scoop (keep in mind the dumplings will puff up and expand as they cook) or 2 spoons, drop balls of dumpling batter into the pot.

Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Divide the soup among bowls, season with salt and pepper, and top with parsley and divide among bowls.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How to make the best soup for chicken and dumplings: While some chicken and dumplings recipes only use a simple chicken soup in their recipe, I decided to give mine the treatment it deserves. I use chicken breasts and chicken thighs in this recipe, which I think is worthwhile, but feel free to use one or the other if you prefer. I also add some body to the soup by incorporating some heavy cream, which takes the soup's comfort factor up several notches.
• How to make the best dumplings: It’s no secret: Dumplings are the star of this classic comfort food. To achieve the ideal soft, pillowy texture, I went with the standard mixture of flour, baking powder, salt, egg, buttermilk, and melted butter, but increased the baking powder significantly to give them more volume.

Storage

If you have any leftover soup, let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dumplings are best enjoyed fresh, but if you have any leftovers, store them separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.