Over the years, I have made many a batch of various chicken soups. Usually, it is to sooth a sickness, my own or now a loved one. As I made a batch of chicken and dumplings the other night for a stuffed up, fatigued Amber with a nasty bit of cold I had just gotten over, it occurred to me that Chicken Soup has always been a home remedy in my life. Pots of soup from my mom, friends in college were known to bring it over and there was a pot or two made by a girlfriend or two. I had always just assumed it had something to do with the chemical make up of chicken stock. A realization came over me as I made this batch, something I do from my head with a recipe book not even in sight, the healing may come from the love that is put into the act of making it.
Chicken and Dumplings,
1 whole chicken
12 cups water
1 leak
1 large yellow onion
3 carrots
3 stalks celery
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped sage
1 tbsp thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp butter (cold) cut into pieces (freeze it for three minutes)
1 cup butter milk
Put the chicken in a large pot, I love my porcelain covered cast iron 6 qt Dutch Oven for a 3 lb bird, if you are doing a bigger bird, think about a stock pot. Put the water in the pot. This should cover about 3/4 of the bird, adjust as needed. If you want, you can always replace the water with stock, I usually have some in my freezer. Turn the pot on medium high and bring to a boil. Skim the foam from the stock. Add one leak, one carrot, and one celery stalk all quartered. Turn down to a nice simmer, probably medium-low, and cook at least an hour. Make sure the chicken is done, clear juices will come out of it when you pierce the skin. You can cook it as long as you like at this point, it will only make your broth richer.
Set the chicken aside to cool. Drain the broth and discard the veggies. Feel free to defat the broth if you choose. You can drain over ice with a china hat or you can refrigerate the stock and then skim fat off the top. Return the broth to the pot.
Chop the remaining onion, celery and carrots. Cook in the olive oil after heating it in a saute pan. Again, I have and love a cast iron skillet. Do not brown, cook until translucent or tender. Throw this in the broth with the sage, thyme, and salt and pepper; and return to a simmer. Cook for about forty five minutes more.
Meanwhile, discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Pull the meat into bit size pieces and add to the broth.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients. Throw in the butter and use a pastry knife to cut it into small pieces. You want it to look like very small peas to the consistency of bread crumbs. The bigger the butter pieces the fluffier your dumplings will be. Add the buttermilk and mix until everything is nice and wet. You will not have a smooth batter and it will be very sticky. Use an ice tea spoon to form walnut sizes clumps of the batter and throw them into the stock. Stir very gently, every so often. When all the dough has been added, return to a slow simmer and cover the pot. Cook for twenty to thirty minutes, until the dumplings are done. Stir gently again. Season to taste and ladle into large mugs for your loved ones to hold underneath their face as they get to feeling better!
