Virginia Willis’ Quick Herb Chicken and Dumplings
About the recipe
Virginia Willis’s quick herb chicken and dumplings is Southern comfort in a bowl, made easy with drop dumpling dough and a rotisserie chicken.
Serves: Makes 2 generous quarts
Hands On Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/2 ounce)
1 tablespoon baking powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups homemade chicken stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 rotisserie chicken, bones and skin discarded, and meat pulled, shredded or chopped into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cheese, baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a simmer over low heat; season with pepper. (Alternatively, zap the milk and butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until the butter is melted.) Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Heads up: The mixture will be pretty dry.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into the simmering stock. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
To assemble, add the chicken and continue to cook until just heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.