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
First, preheat the oven to 400F and set a baking sheet lined with parchment paper aside for later use.
On the baking sheet, arrange your chicken thighs side by side in one layer. Drizzle the olive oil over each thigh, then sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides.
Once prepared for roasting, place the chicken thighs into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until the surface of the thighs turns a nice golden brown color and the juices run clear.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Use two forks to shred the roasted chicken thighs, discarding any leftover skin and bone. Reserve the shredded chicken for the soup base.
Prepare the Soup Base
While the chicken is roasting, you can prepare the rest of the soup. Begin by melting butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Once melted, add the onions, celery, carrot, thyme, and some salt. Stir occasionally for approximately two to three minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Next, stir in the flour and cook for another minute, just enough time to coat all of the vegetables.
Once the flour has been added, pour in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the soup to thicken by continuing to cook for approximately six to seven minutes.
Prepare the Dumplings
While waiting for the soup base to thicken, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Once mixed, slowly add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overmix the dumpling batter, as this will affect the texture of the dumplings.
The batter should be thick enough to form dough balls but also loose enough to scoop into large dollops.
Put It All Together
Once the soup is simmering, adjust taste with additional salt and black pepper, then add the dumpling dough to the simmering surface of the soup.
The best way to add the dumplings is to drop them right over the bubbling areas of the soup — this helps each dumpling become extra fluffy.
Once all of the dumplings have been added, cover the Dutch oven with a lid and continue cooking for approximately five minutes, or until all dumplings puff up and are cooked through.
Finally, move a dumpling aside, stir in your reserved shredded chicken, 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.
