Name: Hen and Dumplings
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 7 h
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 hen; 2 medium onions roughly chopped (about 2 cups); 3 carrots, roughly chopped (about 1 cup); 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped (about 1 cup); 4 cups leeks, roughly chopped; 6 sprigs parsley; 6 sprigs thyme; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; 4-5 quarts of water; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1/8 tsp pepper; ¼ tsp salt; ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 3 tbs butter, melted; 5 Tbs butter; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 2 quarts hen broth; 1-quart shredded hen meat; ½ cup heavy cream; 1 Tbs chives, chopped; Salt and pepper to taste

Description

I am convinced chicken (or hen) and dumplings requires a sprinkling of love to get the flavor just right. Whether that love comes from a quilt-making great grandmother, an aunt from Texas, or a college friend’s toddler, the results will have an umami unobtainable with conventional kitchen techniques.

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Ingredients

Units Scale

Broth

1 hen
2 medium onions roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
3 carrots, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cups leeks, roughly chopped
6 sprigs parsley
6 sprigs thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4–5 quarts of water

Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 tbs butter, melted

Assembly

5 Tbs butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts hen broth
1–quart shredded hen meat
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

First make the broth: Place hen in a large stock pot. Add all other ingredients to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Skim off any foam or solidified fat that floats to the top. Cook until the meat falls off the bone…usually minimum of 5-6 hours. After you have removed the hen from the broth, strain the broth. You will have about 4 quarts broth and 2 quarts of hen meat.
Next make the dumpling dough: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and butter with a fork. Stir until just combined. If you over mix the batter, then the dumplings will be too dense.
Now make the hen and dumplings: In a large stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes until golden (but not light brown). You want to have the color of blonde roux.
Slowly pour in the hen broth while stirring constantly. It will initially for some lumps but just keep stirring and the lumps will disappear. I like to use a whisk for this part to help break the lumps up as you slowly add the broth. Add the hen meat (reserved from making the broth). Bring to a low boil.
Add the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. It is important to ensure you like the salt and pepper at this point because after you add the dumplings, you will not be able to easily adjust the seasoning without possibly breaking up the dumplings. Drop the dumplings on top of the broth using a cookie scooper or a spoon. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, uncover and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through. Garnish with chives and additional fresh grated pepper.

Notes

I like to cook this broth over two days and let the bones sit in the broth overnight to get more flavor out of them. I’ll start the broth the day before I want to eat the dumplings and cook it for about 3 hours. Then let it sit overnight in the refrigerator and get it back out the next day and cook another 3 hours before deboning the hen.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 6 hours
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern

Keywords: Comfort food, Southern classics, Chicken and Dumplings