Classic Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 (about 4 lb)whole chicken, cut up (or bone-in thighs and breasts)
• 2 stalkscelery, chopped
• 1onion, quartered
• 2carrots, chopped
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• to tastesalt
• 2 cupsall-purpose flour, for dumplings
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1/2 tspsalt, for dumplings
• 4 tbspcold butter, cubed
• 3/4 cupbuttermilk, approximately
• 1/4 cupheavy cream
• 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped

Nutrition / serving

No nutrition data for this recipe — tap Nutrition in Ask Chef AI above for an estimate.

Method

1. 1

   Place chicken, celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a large stockpot; cover with about 10 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour until the chicken is very tender.

   ⏱Start 1:00:00
2. 2

   Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly, then shred the meat, discarding skin and bones. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables, and return the broth to the pot; skim off excess fat and season with salt.

3. 3

   Make the dumplings: whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together; cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until pea-sized crumbs form. Stir in buttermilk just until a soft dough comes together.

4. 4

   Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into strips roughly 1 by 3 inches.

5. 5

   Bring the broth to a gentle boil. Drop dumpling strips in one at a time, stirring gently so they don't clump together.

6. 6

   Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and the broth has thickened slightly from the flour.

   ⏱Start 15:00
7. 7

   Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir in the cream; simmer 5 more minutes to heat through.

8. 8

   Season with salt and black pepper to taste, stir in parsley, and serve hot in bowls.