Chicken and Dumplings

“It [soup] breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability...There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, it's wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation.

”Louis P. DeGouy, Chef at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for 30 years

The weather has been beautiful here lately. The sky is clear and blue, the sun is shining, it's only when I go outside for my walk am I reminded it's still winter. As I walk around our land my feet crunch the ice on the ground, and the wind is cold on my face. It definitely puts me in the mood for something heartwarming like Chicken and Dumplings. This dish is simple, but really delicious. The stew is hearty, and flavorful, and the dumplings are light and fluffy, just the way a dumpling should be.

Using homemade stock is key here. Many chefs these days are singing the praises of homemade stock. Anthony Bourdain says in his Les Halles cookbook, "What's missing in your home cooking? Why doesn't that dish you painfully re-created from the chef's recipe taste like it does in the restaurant? What's wrong with your soups, sauces and stews? The answer is almost certainly stock." Restaurants make it, most home cooks buy it. Simple as that.

I usually buy chicken whole for this very reason. Any bones will do, if you prefer to buy only breasts, buy them on the bone. Every time I have bones, I just put them in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer until I'm ready to make it, then I make a large batch at once. After I make it I store it in different size containers in the freezer including freezing some in ice cube trays and then putting them in a baggie so if I need a small amount it's handy.

The way I see it, is those bones came with the chicken, they're free. And I just need to add a few vegetables and other ingredients that I have on hand anyway. If I bought the stuff that's in a can, not only would it be salty and well, flavorless, I would have to pay for it. Ouch. This is definitely a win win situation.

I don't really use a recipe for the stew, but here are some components.

cooked chicken
celery
carrots
potatoes
salt
pepper
2 bay leaves
homemade chicken stock-or carton, or canned chicken broth-if you must (carton is better than canned, usually)

Dumplings
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Then turn down and have stew simmering to add dumplings.
To make dumplings, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and melted butter. Stir gently just until the dough comes together. Don't mix it too much or else they will get tough. Drop dough into simmering stew by the tablespoon. Cover and cook on low heat, keeping the stew at a simmer for 15 minutes. Don't remove the lid during this time because the dumplings need to steam. After 15 minutes you may test them for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of dumpling, and if it comes clean, they're done.