When it comes to comfort food, chicken and dumplings reign supreme. The tender chicken, flavorful broth, and fluffy dumplings come together to create a hearty and satisfying dish that is perfect for a cold winter day. If you're looking for the best chicken and dumplings recipe, look no further than Alton Brown. His recipe is simple to follow and yields delicious results every time.
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CHICKEN AND ROLLED DUMPLINGS
Southern-style rolled dumplings add a comforting touch to this classic stew, made extra rich thanks to a flavorful chicken broth cooked up in a pressure cooker. Flat or "slicker" dumplings require considerably more time to prep than "swimmers." Like most Southern baked goods, my version is based on the biscuit method, wherein flour is mixed with leavening and seasoning, solid fat is cut in, cold liquid is added, and the dough is briefly kneaded. What's intriguing, however, is what comes after that...This recipe first appeared in Season 14 of Good Eats.
Provided by Kate Itrich-Williams
Categories Mains
Time 10h
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Rub the shortening into the flour mixture using your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you have a rough ball of workable dough. Knead the dough 3 to 4 times, until it is mostly smooth, but do not overwork.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough, using a floured rolling pin, to a sheet about 1/16-inch thick, on a floured piece of waxed paper or parchment paper. Cover the dough, still on the waxed paper or parchment, with a tea towel, and dry for at least 8 hours. This can be done the night before or early in the morning.
- Two to three hours before the dumplings are ready to cook, put the chicken, water, and the remaining tablespoon of salt in a 7-quart pressure cooker. Do not fill above the cooker's "maximum fill" line, or two-thirds full. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Release the pressure using the cooker's release device (read the manual!) or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Open carefully. Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. The meat should be tender and falling away from the bone. Once the hen is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in small pieces, cover and set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
- Set a cheesecloth-lined colander in a large container and pour in the broth, discarding the solids. Taste and season the broth with additional salt, if needed. Return the broth to the pressure cooker, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil.
- Cut the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips, break into 1 1/2-inch long pieces, and drop into the boiling broth. When all the dough has been used, gently push all of the dumplings down into the broth with a slotted spoon. Do not stir the dumplings. Cook the dumplings until they are cooked through, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the meat. Serve in bowls with freshly ground black pepper.
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (ALTON BROWN)
Make and share this Chicken and Dumplings (Alton Brown) recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Salt in SF
Categories Very Low Carbs
Time 1h45m
Yield 4 bowls, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Directions.
- Special equipment: 7-quart pressure cooker.
- Put the hen and 3 teaspoons of the salt in a 7-quart pressure cooker. Add water just to cover the hen. Do not fill above the cooker's "maximum fill" line, or 2/3 full. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat, approximately 20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Release the pressure using the cooker's release device (read the manual!) or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Open carefully. Remove the hen from the broth and set aside to cool. The meat should be tender and falling away from the bone. Once the hen is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in small pieces, cover and set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
- Set a cheesecloth-lined colander in a shallow, wide, 6-quart pot and strain the broth, discarding the solids. Taste and season the broth with additional salt, if needed.
- Put 1/2 cup of the broth, the butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a 2-quart saucier, set over high heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, add all of the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come together, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the heat to low and continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball and is no longer sticky, approximately 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and mix, on low speed, for 5 minutes with an electric hand mixer. Beat until cool and there is no more steam rising. Continue to mix on low, and add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each is completely incorporated before adding another. You may need to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Before adding the last egg, check the mixture for consistency: It should tear slightly as it falls from the beater, creating a "V" shape. Transfer the dough to a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Cut off 1 corner of the bag to make a quarter-sized opening.
- Bring the broth to a slight simmer over medium heat. Pipe 1-inch of the mixture and cut with kitchen shears directly over the broth. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cook, covered, until the dumplings are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the meat and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Serve in bowls with freshly ground black pepper.
CHICKEN AND ROLLED DUMPLINGS
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time 11h55m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Special equipment: 7-quart pressure cooker
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Rub the shortening into the flour mixture using your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk, 1-ounce at a time, just until you have a rough ball of workable dough. Knead the dough 3 to 4 times, until it is mostly smooth, but do not overwork.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough, using a floured rolling pin, to a sheet about 1/16-inch thick, on floured piece of waxed paper or parchment paper.
- Cover the dough, still on the waxed paper or parchment, with a tea towel, and dry for at least 8 hours. This can be done the night before or early in the morning.
- Two to three hours before the dumplings are ready to cook, put the hen, water, and the remaining tablespoon of salt in a 7-quart pressure cooker. Do not fill above the cooker's "maximum fill" line, or 2/3 full. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat, approximately 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Release the pressure using the cooker's release device (read the manual!) or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Open carefully. Remove the hen from the broth and set aside to cool. The meat should be tender and falling away from the bone. Once the hen is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in small pieces, cover and set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
- Set a cheesecloth-lined colander in a large container and pour in the broth, discarding the solids. Taste and season the broth with additional salt, if needed. Return the broth to the pressure cooker, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil.
- Cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide strips, break into 1 1/2-inch long pieces, and drop into the boiling broth. When all the dough has been used, gently push all of the dumplings down into the broth with a slotted spoon. Do not stir the dumplings. Cook the dumplings until they are cooked through, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the meat. Serve in bowls with freshly ground black pepper.
CHICKEN AND DROPPED DUMPLINGS
Fluffy Northern drop-style dumplings, aka "swimmers," don't require very much time at all because there's no drying phase involved (like that employed by Southern-style Chicken and Rolled Dumplings). So, a typical procedure goes like this: Boil the butter and liquid together, add the flour, beat until the mixture is cool, then work in the eggs. Remind you of anything? If you answered pate a choux (or choux paste), give yourself a nice big hug, because that is exactly what my mama's dumplings really are, which means that they're as French as Chanel No. 5, only they taste good. This application first appeared in Season 14 of Good Eats.Photo by Lynne Calamia
Provided by Level Agency
Categories Soups & Sandwiches
Time 2h
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Put the chicken and 3 teaspoons of the salt in a 7-quart pressure cooker. Add enough water just to cover the chicken; do not fill above the cooker's "maximum fill" line, or 2/3 full. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat, about 20 minutes.
- Once the pot reaches pressure, reduce heat to low, so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Following the manufacturer's instructions, release the pressure using the cooker's release device, or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Open carefully. Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. The meat should be tender and falling away from the bone. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in small pieces, cover, and set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
- Set a cheesecloth-lined colander in a shallow, wide, 6-quart pot, and strain the broth, discarding the solids. Taste and season the broth with additional salt, if desired.
- Put 1/2 cup of the broth, the butter, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a 2-quart saucier, set over high heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, add all of the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come together, about 1 minute. Decrease heat to low and continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball and is no longer sticky, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer, on low speed, until mixture is cool and there is no more steam rising, about 5 minutes. Continue to mix on low, and add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is completely incorporated before adding another. You may need to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Before adding the last egg, check the mixture for consistency: It should tear slightly as it falls from the beater, creating a "V" shape. Transfer the dough to a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Cut off 1 corner of the bag to make a quarter-sized opening.
- Bring the broth to a slight simmer over medium heat. Pipe 1 inch of the mixture and cut with kitchen shears directly over the broth. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cook, covered, until the dumplings are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the meat, and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Serve in bowls with freshly ground black pepper.
Tips:
- For a richer flavor, use chicken stock instead of water.
- To make the dumplings more tender, use a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour.
- If you don't have a dumpling maker, you can use a spoon to drop the dumplings into the boiling liquid.
- Cook the dumplings until they are cooked through, but not overcooked. They should be light and fluffy.
- Serve the chicken and dumplings immediately with your favorite sides.
Conclusion:
Chicken and dumplings is a classic comfort food that is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a simple dish to make, but it is also very flavorful and satisfying. The tips above will help you make the best chicken and dumplings possible. So next time you're looking for a hearty and delicious meal, give this recipe a try.
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