Chicken and Cornmeal Parsley Dumplings
Copyright by Terese Allen
Chicken and dumplings comes in any number of regional variations—Southern, Midwestern, Pennsylvania Dutch, New England-style; in other words, it’s an all-American dish. What’s more, it’s good, old-fashioned “plain” fare, the kind of warming, memory-filled dish that never goes out of favor. I confess I never make it the same way twice—sometimes I use fennel instead of celery, or rosemary instead of parsley. Sometimes I add mushrooms or peas, or enrich the sauce with cream. You, too, should feel free to vary it—that’s the American way.
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 Organic Prairie chicken (about 3 pounds), cut up
flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Organic Valley Butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 small carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large stalk celery, split lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned), divided
1 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon pepper
fresh thyme or parsley sprigs
Dumplings:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Organic Valley Half-and-half or Milk
Instructions:
Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour, shaking off excess from each piece. Heat a large, wide, heavy pot over medium-high flame for 2-3 minutes. Add half the olive oil and butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Brown the chicken pieces in batches in the pot, adding a bit more butter and olive oil as required. Remove browned meat to a platter.
Add carrots, celery and leeks to pot; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and apple cider, scraping up any bits from bottom of pot. Stir in thyme and pepper. Arrange chicken pieces in the liquid, cover pot, and adjust heat so chicken will simmer slowly. Let it cook 20-25 minutes, turning pieces partway through the cooking time to make sure they are cooking evenly. (If you've used homemade or unsalted stock, you may need to add salt to taste at this point.)
To make dumplings: Whisk flour, cornmeal, parsley, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir in half-and-half until just blended. Drop 8 spoonfuls of batter onto simmering chicken; cover tightly and continue cooking over low heat 15 minutes.
Serve chicken and dumplings in wide, shallow bowls. Garnish with herb sprigs.
Rate This Recipe
Rate this recipe or tell us about your own special twist that made it even better!
Customer Comments:
Customer rating:
