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The Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Grandparents Day Was Made For

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Bone-in chicken thighs browned for real flavor, a proper roux gravy, and flaky buttermilk dumplings made with grated frozen butter.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (for dumplings)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp frozen butter, grated
  • 1 cup cold buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat and brown the thighs skin-side down until deeply golden, about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, add remaining butter, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  3. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw taste and build the roux.
  4. Slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add bay leaves and thyme, then nestle the chicken thighs back in.
  5. Simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender. Remove the thighs, shred the meat, discard skin and bones, and return the meat to the pot along with the peas.
  6. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt for the dumplings. Grate the frozen butter into the mixture and toss to coat. Pour in the buttermilk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms — do not overmix.
  7. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. Drop the dumpling dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the surface, cover tightly, and cook without lifting the lid for 15-18 minutes, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
  8. Remove bay leaves, stir in lemon juice and parsley, and season to taste before serving.

Notes

Grate the butter for the dumplings straight from the freezer and work fast so it stays cold — that’s what gives you flaky layers instead of dense dumplings. Resist lifting the lid while the dumplings steam; every peek drops the temperature and lets steam escape, leaving them gummy. If you don’t have buttermilk, stir 1 tbsp lemon juice into 1 cup regular milk and let it sit 5 minutes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days, but the broth thickens as it sits, so thin it with a splash of broth or water when reheating.

Find it online: https://www.receipster.com/the-chicken-and-dumplings-recipe-grandparents-day-was-made-for/