This is the first recipe I have tried from the Gourmet Cookbook, and it was fantastic! This smelled so good. The whole cup of shallots and the wine really gave this dish its wonderful fragrance. It is definitely a comforting meal to have on a cold night.
Recipe: Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 4 (or just 2 hungry people)
(from the Gourmet Cook)
For the chicken:
1 chicken, 3-3.5 lb, cut into 8 parts
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil1 cup chopped shallots (about 8 medium sized shallots)
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
For the dumplings
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of ground black pepper
2 Tbsp cold butter cut into pieces
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
For the gravy
3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2.5 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
Cook the chicken
1. Season all sides of chicken parts with salt and pepper
2. In a large deep pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with oil. When foam subsides, brown chicken parts on all sides. About 3-4 minutes on each side. Do this in 2 batches if all parts can't fit in the pan together.
3. Arrange chicken pieces so that skin-side is up. Sprinkle shallots into the pan, and try to get them around the chicken into the oil. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Meanwhile turn oven on to 200F.
4. Take chicken out and onto an oven-proof plate. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.
Make the dumplings (do this while the chicken is cooking)
1. Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Use fingers or a pastry cutter to work butter into the dry flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.
3. Mix in chopped chives and parsley.
4. Add buttermilk and mix until just incorporated. Do not overwork the dough.
5. Cover and return to the fridge.
Make the gravy
1. After chicken is taken out, add 2 3/4 cup of chicken stock into the pot and bring to a strong boil. Skim off as much grease as possible
2. Mix flour with cream and the remaining 1/4 cup stock in a bowl and try to make it as smooth as possible.
3. Whisk flour/cream/stock mixture into the boiling sauce and let it come back to a boil to thicken.
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Lower heat to a simmer. Drop 8 heaping tablespoons of the dumpling dough into the pot. Space the dumplings evenly apart so they have room to expand.
6. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top part of the dumplings are dry to the touch. (It will feel like a cooked muffin)
7. Plate chicken and spoon dumplings and gravy over the chicken. Sprinkle chopped chives and parsley over.
Recipe: Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 4 (or just 2 hungry people)
(from the Gourmet Cook)
For the chicken:
1 chicken, 3-3.5 lb, cut into 8 parts
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil1 cup chopped shallots (about 8 medium sized shallots)
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
For the dumplings
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of ground black pepper
2 Tbsp cold butter cut into pieces
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
For the gravy
3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2.5 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
Cook the chicken
1. Season all sides of chicken parts with salt and pepper
2. In a large deep pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with oil. When foam subsides, brown chicken parts on all sides. About 3-4 minutes on each side. Do this in 2 batches if all parts can't fit in the pan together.
3. Arrange chicken pieces so that skin-side is up. Sprinkle shallots into the pan, and try to get them around the chicken into the oil. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Meanwhile turn oven on to 200F.
4. Take chicken out and onto an oven-proof plate. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.
Make the dumplings (do this while the chicken is cooking)
1. Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Use fingers or a pastry cutter to work butter into the dry flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.
3. Mix in chopped chives and parsley.
4. Add buttermilk and mix until just incorporated. Do not overwork the dough.
5. Cover and return to the fridge.
Make the gravy
1. After chicken is taken out, add 2 3/4 cup of chicken stock into the pot and bring to a strong boil. Skim off as much grease as possible
2. Mix flour with cream and the remaining 1/4 cup stock in a bowl and try to make it as smooth as possible.
3. Whisk flour/cream/stock mixture into the boiling sauce and let it come back to a boil to thicken.
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Lower heat to a simmer. Drop 8 heaping tablespoons of the dumpling dough into the pot. Space the dumplings evenly apart so they have room to expand.
6. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top part of the dumplings are dry to the touch. (It will feel like a cooked muffin)
7. Plate chicken and spoon dumplings and gravy over the chicken. Sprinkle chopped chives and parsley over.
Comments
i first heard this dish a few years ago in portland when my friend jay ordered it at this restaurant called "mother's bistro." i guess it's typical american home-cooked food. but i still don't get why are those things called "dumplings?"