Chef John's Chicken and Dumplings recipe

Name: Chef John's Chicken and Dumplings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 2 eggs; ½ cup milk; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cups self-rising flour; 1 bay leaf; 1 stalk celery, chopped; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) whole chicken; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste; ½ cup creme fraiche; 2 ½ quarts cold water; 1 large carrot, cubed; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves; 4 sprigs thyme, for garnish

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place chicken in a Dutch oven. Add water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.

Step 2

Increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste, adding more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 3

Remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 4

Whisk creme fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.

Step 5

Scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnish with thyme sprigs.