Chicken and Dumpling Stew

Name: Chicken and Dumpling Stew
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 1 min
Total time: 1 h 26 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 lb (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 4 large thighs, patted very dry; 1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste at the end; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 tbsp (14 ml) neutral oil; 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter; 1 medium (200 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 3 medium (250 g) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick; 3 ribs (150 g) celery ribs, sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick; 3 cloves (10 g) garlic cloves, minced; ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour; 4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, at room temperature or warmed; 4 sprigs (4 g) fresh thyme sprigs; 1 leaf (1 g) bay leaf; 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk; 1 cup (140 g) frozen peas, no need to thaw; 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional); 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 tsp (9 g) baking powder, fresh; ½ tsp (3 g) fine salt; 3 tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes; 1 tbsp (4 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk, cold; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A creamy, thyme-scented chicken stew loaded with carrots, celery and tender bone-in thigh meat, topped with fluffy buttermilk-free drop dumplings made with cold butter and milk. Everything cooks in one pot on the stovetop.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 1 hr 1 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 1 hr 31 min
Makes: About 9 cups stew with 12 dumplings (6 servings)

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the stew
2 lb (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 4 large thighs, patted very dry
1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste at the end
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 tbsp (14 ml) neutral oil
4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
1 medium (200 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
3 medium (250 g) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick
3 ribs (150 g) celery ribs, sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick
3 cloves (10 g) garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, at room temperature or warmed
4 sprigs (4 g) fresh thyme sprigs
1 leaf (1 g) bay leaf
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 cup (140 g) frozen peas, no need to thaw
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional)
For the dumplings
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
2 tsp (9 g) baking powder, fresh
½ tsp (3 g) fine salt
3 tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
1 tbsp (4 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk, cold
To finish
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Equipment (7)

5½–6 quart (5–5.7 L) heavy pot or stovetop-safe casserole with tight-fitting lid
Large cutting board and chef's knife
Two forks or tongs for shredding chicken
Wooden spoon
Medium mixing bowl
Instant-read thermometer
Large spoon or 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for dumplings

Steps

Before you start

Chop all the vegetables before you turn on the heat; the sauté moves quickly once it starts.
Cut the dumpling butter into cubes and put it in the freezer, and keep the dumpling milk in the fridge until you need it. Cold fat makes tender dumplings.
Use a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, 5½–6 quart size. The dumplings need room to puff and a lid to steam.
Plan on about 1½ hours from start to table. The stew can be made through step 6 and the milk, chicken and peas stirred in (step 8) earlier in the day; mix the dumpling dough fresh.

1
Prep and season chicken
- Chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and set them aside.
- Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels.
- Season both sides with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
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Ready when: Chicken surface looks dry with no pooled moisture.
Tip: Dry skin browns; wet skin steams and sticks to the pot.
2
Sear the chicken
- Heat the oil in the heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Place the thighs skin-side down and cook without moving for 5–6 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes more.
- Transfer to a plate.
- Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat, leaving the browned bits in the pot.
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Ready when: Skin is deep golden brown and releases easily from the pot. The chicken will not be cooked through yet.
Tip: If the skin sticks, give it another minute; it releases when it is properly browned.
3
Soften the vegetables
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the 4 tablespoons butter and let it melt.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt.
- Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, for 7–8 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften at the edges.
Tip: Lower the heat if the bottom of the pot starts to darken too much.
4
Cook garlic and flour
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the ⅓ cup flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1½ minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
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Ready when: Vegetables are coated in a pasty, pale-blond layer with no dry flour visible.
Tip: Keep stirring so the flour doesn't scorch on the bottom.
5
Simmer chicken in broth
- Pour in the broth about 1 cup at a time, stirring and scraping after each addition so no lumps form.
- Add the thyme and bay leaf, then nestle the thighs and any juices from the plate back into the pot, skin-side up.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low so it barely bubbles.
- Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer 25 minutes.
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Ready when: Chicken reads 175°F (80°C) in the thickest part near the bone, and the broth coats the back of a spoon lightly.
Tip: Keep it at a gentle simmer; hard boiling toughens the meat.
6
Shred the chicken
- Lift the thighs onto a cutting board and let them cool 5 minutes.
- Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf from the pot.
- Discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat into bite-size pieces with two forks.
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Ready when: Meat pulls apart easily with no pink near the bone.
Tip: Leave the pot on the lowest heat while you shred so the stew stays hot for the dumplings.
7
Mix dumpling dough
- In a medium bowl whisk the 1½ cups flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon fine salt.
- Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the pieces are pea-size and flaky.
- Stir in the parsley.
- Pour in the cold milk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
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Ready when: No dry flour remains and the dough is lumpy and sticky, not smooth.
Tip: Do not overmix; a smooth, kneaded dough makes tough, dense dumplings.
8
Finish the stew base
- Stir the milk, shredded chicken and frozen peas into the pot.
- Raise the heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle simmer, about 3 minutes.
- Taste and add more salt if needed.
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Ready when: Small bubbles break at the surface and steam rises; the stew is hot throughout.
Tip: Do not boil after adding the milk, or it may curdle.
9
Steam the dumplings
- Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto the simmering stew, spacing them about ½ inch apart so they sit on top and are not buried.
- Cover tightly and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Do not lift the lid during this time.
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Ready when: Dumplings have roughly doubled, look dry on top, and a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean.
Tip: Lifting the lid lets the steam escape and gives gummy dumplings.
10
Rest and serve
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes so the stew thickens slightly.
- Stir in the lemon juice if using, taste for salt, and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve in wide bowls with 2 dumplings per serving.
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Ready when: Stew is thick enough to cling to a spoon and the dumplings are set.
Tip: Stir the lemon in gently to avoid breaking up the dumplings.

Good to know

Tips

Spoon and level the flour rather than scooping it, which packs in too much and makes heavy dumplings.
Keep the stew at a gentle simmer once the dumplings go in; a hard boil breaks them apart.
If the stew is too thick before adding the dumplings, thin it with a splash of broth. They need a loose, brothy base to steam properly.
A cookie scoop makes uniform dumplings that cook at the same rate.

Make ahead

Make the stew through step 8 up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate (keep the dumpling dough unmade). Reheat gently to a simmer, then mix the dough (step 7), drop the dumplings and finish from step 9.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: up to 3 days in an airtight container. Freezer: the stew without dumplings freezes up to 3 months; dumplings turn soft when frozen. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of broth or milk to loosen it, until steaming hot (165°F/74°C).

Substitutions

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs → bone-in chicken breasts or a mix of both. Breasts cook faster; simmer about 20 minutes, until 165°F (74°C), to avoid dry meat.
unsalted butter → cold vegetable shortening. Gives very tender dumplings with a little less flavor.
whole milk → cold buttermilk. Adds tang and extra tenderness; use the same amount.
fresh thyme sprigs → ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Add it with the broth.