Chicken and Dumplings

My mom's made this soup for as long as I can remember and, lemme tell ya, it never EVER gets old. Making this soup created one of those stories that always pops up at family gatherings. Here's how it all started:

One afternoon in the fall of 1990 or so, my mom decided to make a big pot of chicken and dumplings. She got out her big stock pot and went crazy chopping up onions, celery, carrots and chicken. As everything simmered away, she rolled out the dumpling dough (she likes strips of dough instead of balls) then let it rest in the fridge. Just before the soup was done emptied a few cans of Cream of Something soup into the simmering pot, cut the dough into strips and dropped them in, then watched for them to float to the surface.

We waited anxiously for the soup to finish before jumping right into the pot with our spoons. "Mmmmm...this was a really good batch, Mom! A really, REALLY good batch," we managed between mouthfuls. If she was to make an extra large pot of any soup, this was the one. She made so much that we couldn't fit it in the main refrigerator. Luckily we had another fridge on standby out in the garage for other goodies. The chicken and dumplings lasted for at least four days as I brought friends over to try it for themselves.

For 17 years now, we keep bugging her to replicate that legendary pot of chicken and dumplings. Like many great cooks, Mom doesn't really write down ingredients or strictly adhere to recipes, so the chase continues. Since great soup weather is finally here, I decided to jump in the kitchen and try once again to recapture one of my favorite comfort foods. I did change a few things to mom's version. I made my own bechamel cream sauce instead of using Campbell's Cream of Whatever Soup. I also made dumpling balls instead of strips. (It was a lazy day and I didn't feel like rolling out the dough.) Try my version or spruce it up with a few of your own twists. Just make sure to keep me in the loop if you end up with a really, really good batch that your family can't stop talking about!

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6-8
1 small whole chicken (2-3 lbs)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
10 cups water
6 sprigs thyme
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp dry sherry
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
4 green onions, thinly sliced on bias
salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse chicken under cold water and cut into 8 pieces, remove skin from thighs, legs and breasts and set aside.

2. Heat a dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken back, neck and wings and onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and continue cooking for about 20 minutes more.

3. Increase heat to medium-high and add 10 cups water, chicken thighs, legs, and breasts (with skin removed), bay leaves and salt, and bring to a simmer.

4. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, just until chicken is cooked through. Strain stock and pull chicken off the bones and into small pieces when cool enough to handle.

5. In a clean stock pot, melt butter and add flour, stirring for about 3 minutes. Whisk in sherry and let cook for two minutes, then slowly whisk in strained stock and bring to a boil to thicken slightly, then return to a simmer.

6. Add onion, celery, carrot and thyme leaves and simmer until vegetables are tender. While soup simmers, make dumpling dough (see recipe below).

7. Add shredded chicken, cream and green onions to the pot, then season with plenty of salt and pepper. Drop dumplings slowly into simmering soup, then cover and let cook for about 15 minutes. Get your spoons ready and SERVE!

Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk

Heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Combine dry ingredients, then add to milk and butter, mixing until a very soft dough forms. Scoop out small dumplings (1 Tbsp each) and drop into simmering soup. A small spring-release ice cream scoop works very well for getting uniformly-sized dumplings.