Recipe: Chicken and Dumplings

Here is a recipe that I make when it is really cold outside and you want something that is satisfying, comforting, and warms you up. It serves two.

You can use whole chicken legs for this recipe since it is going to be more of a soup/stew and breast meat tends to get overcooked but use any type of chicken you can get at a great price (usually 89 cents a pound or less)
I always have a bag of white all purpose flour and a bag of corn meal handy and keep them stored in a zip-lock bag (they store practically dry for months/years that way).

*Tip: if you don't want to buy whole bags of carrots, celery, and onions (they may not be always on sale at your supermarket/grocer) you can find all three aromatics already chopped for you in a package found in the produce aisle marked as "meal starter" or something to that effect.

Chicken Stew
1 pound chicken pieces
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 medium rib celery sliced crosswise
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and rough chopped
2 springs of fresh thyme
1 cup packed coarse-chopped kale leaves
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Cornmeal Dumplings
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1tablespoon cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
1/3 cup milk

1. Prepare the stew: In a large saucepan combine chicken pieces, stock, bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to moderate, turn the chicken pieces over, and simmer for 10 minutes more. Take out the cooked chicken and place on a plate or cutting board to allow to cool so that you can safely remove the skin without burning yourself. With a fork, pull the meat off the bones and put shredded chicken back into the pot. Discard skin and bones.
   



2. Skim the broth of any fat and stir in the celery, carrots, onion, and thyme springs. Continue to simmer partially covered until the carrots and onions are just tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the kale and season to taste with salt & pepper.



3. Prepare the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. With your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Using a fork, stir in the milk until blended.



4. Drop tablespoons of the dumpling batter in 8 clumps over the top of the stew. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
   Discard the bay leaf and thyme springs and serve in bowls.