Chef John's Chicken And Dumplings

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) whole chicken
• 2 1/2 quarts cold water
• 1 large carrot, cubed
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 4 sprigs thyme, for garnish

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Ready Time: 2 hrs


• place chicken in a dutch oven. add water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.
• increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste, adding more flour if needed. add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.
• whisk creme fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, and eggs together in a large bowl. stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.
• scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. increase heat slightly to medium-high. cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. serve garnish with thyme sprigs.