Chicken and Buttermilk Chive Dumplings
Chicken & Stock –
1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole organic chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split through the equator
2 tablespoons salt
Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with
water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer
and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat as
it cooks.
When done, remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred
the meat into big pieces – the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken
will be folded into it.
Dumplings –
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk,
lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients
into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the
batter should be thick and cake-like.
Sauce –
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish
In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil.
Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are
soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2
minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken
stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl
onions.Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15
minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer.
Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter
into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should
not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they
are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked
black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving
Butter Dip Biscuits
1/2 cup salted butter
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 T granulated sugar
1 T baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter, and then put it in an 8×8 baking dish. In a mediu bowl, mix togethre the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until a loose dough forms. Batter will be sticky. Pour biscuit dough into baking dish – right on top of the melted butter. Some of the butter will run over the top of the dought, and that’s perfectly okay. cut the dough into 9 squares. This will help with cutting later. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
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