Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 small carrots, finely chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Roast the Chicken Thighs
Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Place the chicken thighs side-by-side and drizzle with the olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Roast for ~20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the juices run clear.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Use two forks to shred the chicken and discard any scraps; set the shredded chicken aside.
Build the Soup Base
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the onion, celery, carrots, thyme, and a few pinches of salt. Cook until slightly softened, ~2-3 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for ~1 minute until it coats the vegetables.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium-low and cook for ~6-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
Make the Cornbread Dumplings
While the soup cooks, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Pour in the buttermilk and mix until just combined – don’t overmix.
The batter should be thick but scoopable.
Finish with Dumplings and Chicken
Taste the soup and adjust salt to your liking; add plenty of black pepper.
Bring the soup up to a gentle simmer. Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, drop dollops of dumpling batter directly onto the simmering surface.
The key is to drop them right where the soup is bubbling – this makes them extra fluffy.
Cover and cook for ~5 minutes until the dumplings puff up and are cooked through.
Move a dumpling aside and stir the reserved shredded chicken back into the pot. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 3 small carrots finely chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme leaves removed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Drizzle chicken thighs with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast 20-25 minutes until golden and juices run clear.
- Let chicken cool, then shred with two forks and set aside.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, thyme, and salt. Cook 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Stir in 1 1/2 Tbsp flour and cook 1 minute.
- Pour in chicken stock, bring to a simmer, reduce to medium-low, and cook 6-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
- While soup cooks, whisk together 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour in buttermilk and mix until just combined.
- Taste soup and adjust salt and pepper.
- Bring soup to a gentle simmer and drop tablespoon-sized dollops of dumpling batter onto bubbling surface.
- Cover and cook 5 minutes until dumplings puff up and are cooked through.
- Stir shredded chicken back into pot and serve immediately.
