CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

"The dumplings must be served immediately, so call everyone to the table right before you finish them. Use the best-quality chicken you can find, preferably a kosher one, for the cleanest, tastiest broth. Bisquick is preferred for dumplings, but you can also use a recipe for baking powder biscuits. Like all slow-cooking soups and stews, this needs a heavy pot to retain the heat. A large enameled cast-iron soup pot or Dutch oven is best. You can brown the chicken first and then add remaining ingredients to the same pot."

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 pounds chicken parts, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 leeks (white and light green parts), thinly sliced crosswise and washed thoroughly (about 2 cups)
6 shallots, minced
6 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs with leaves, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
4 cups chicken stock or good quality low-sodium canned broth
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten well
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a pie pan or on a plate. Dredge chicken parts in flour, shaking off the excess, and place on a wire baking rack.

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, and when it is warm, use tongs to add 4 or 5 pieces of the chicken, being careful not to crowd them. Brown for about 10 minutes on each side, until they begin to crisp and are light brown. Transfer chicken to a plate as it is finished and repeat until the chicken is cooked.

Add leeks and shallots. Use a spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot and cook the leeks and shallots for 3 to 4 minutes, until wilted.

Add the carrots, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir well and saute vegetables for 3 minutes.

Stir in stock and cider, deglazing the pan. Bring to a boil and add the chicken pieces. Reduce heat and simmer, with the lid slightly askew, for about 30 minutes, until the chicken begins to separate from the bone.

TO PREPARE THE DUMPLINGS:
While the chicken is cooking, Combine Bisquick, milk, egg, and salt in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Mix with a fork until barely moist. Drop by spoonfuls into the chicken stock and cover. Cook for 12 minutes, or until the dumplings float. The dumplings should look like clouds floating in the stock.

TO SERVE:
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings into bowls. Ladle the broth, chicken, and vegetables over the dumplings and serve immediately.

Servings: 4
Source: The Cookware Cookbook: Great Recipes for Broiling, Steaming, Boiling, Poaching, Braising, Deglazing, Frying, Simmering, and Sauteing by Jamee Ruth