Recipe Thursday – Classic Chicken and Dumplings

This is a perfect fall meal.  Thank you Deb Richardt for sharing this with me. 

Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)  
4 stalks celery, chopped 
4 carrots, chopped 
2 onions, chopped 
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme 
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 bay leaves 
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted 
3/4 cup buttermilk 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving 
Kosher salt and black pepper 

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve the pot.

2. Add the celery, carrots, onions, thyme, and garlic to the drippings in the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and return it to the pot (discarding the skin and bones).

3. Whisk together ½ cup of the flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Make the dumplings: Whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonfuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with parsley.
 
Serves 6; preparation time – 30 minutes; cooking time – 90 minutes
Courtesy of realsimple.com/food-recipes