In a world dominated by foodporn of Instagram and sophisticated dishes, you must not let those of a lifetime pass into the background. You know what I mean: unpretentious recipes that feed, comfort and warm up. Many of these dishes are unpretentious because originally they could not have, since they were born within a context of cucina poverathat “poverty kitchen” is coming: cheap ingredients, not too abundant, and many mouths to feed.
It was in one of these environments that one of the stars of southern cuisine in the United States was born: chicken and dumplings, whose estimated date of birth is 1929, the Great Depression. The dish is basically a chicken and vegetable soup, in which balls of dough made with flour, some dairy and egg are cooked, super spongy and juicy. This mass would most likely be created with the intention of increasing the dish, of making it more filling, but they are the most delicious part of it, full of flavour.
This is a slightly more sophisticated version than what would be made in American homes during the 1930s: the dumplings, for example, are made with crème fraîche, which adds wonderful touches of acidity and creaminess. Instead of making the broth with water and a whole chicken, I have made it with drumsticks and brick chicken broth from the supermarket, which forms a tastier base and gives juicier meat. Halfway through the preparation, a kind of white roux -butter and flour- is added to the broth, to give it a little more consistency and emulsify the fat that the chicken has released. Hope you American purists; If something like that exists, don’t be too offended. In any case, it has the same result as the original: a hot, tasty, easy dish, and above all, that makes you feel at home and forget about your problems for a second.
Difficulty
Serve the dumplings without breaking them.
Ingredients
For soup
- 6 chicken thighs with skin and bone (approx. 1,250 kg)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 stalk of celery
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme
- 1.5 liters of chicken broth
- 500 ml of dry white wine
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 30 g of wheat flour
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon zest
- Olive oil
- salt and black pepper
For the dumplings
- 180 g of wheat flour
- 6 g chemical yeast (Royal type)
- 4g of salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 175 g crème fraîche (or kefir, Greek yogurt or cream)
- 1 egg size L
- 30 g unsalted butter
Preparation
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Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat until very hot, add plenty of olive oil and sear the thighs on the skin side, 3 to 4 minutes, until deep golden brown. Turn them over, add the white wine and reduce it for two minutes.
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Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, until the thighs are cooked but still juicy (74 degrees Celsius at their thickest part). Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion, carrot, celery and rosemary.
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Remove the thighs from the pan when they are ready and set them aside. Clean the surface of the broth from any impurities and foam that have risen.
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In a bowl, add the melted butter and flour, and mix until smooth. Add two ladles of the hot broth little by little and incorporate it. Add the mixture to the saucepan, mix it, and then add the vegetables and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make the dumplings: in a bowl, mix the flour, chemical yeast, salt and freshly ground black pepper. In another bowl, mix the crème fraîche and the egg until smooth. Add the melted butter and crème fraîche mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients. Integrate all the ingredients mixing as little as possible, so that they have a better texture.
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Uncover the saucepan and add spoonfuls of the dumpling batter, separated from each other. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let them cook for 20 minutes, without uncovering at any time. Meanwhile, shred the chicken thighs into strips.
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Uncover the saucepan and add the chicken, tucking it between the dumplings being careful not to break them. Serve in bowls and finish with chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper.
If you make this recipe, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecipesComidista. And if it goes wrong, complain to the Defender of the Cook by sending an email to [email protected].
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