Herb-Infused Chicken & Dumplings

Why This Herb-Infused Chicken & Dumplings Works

As the chicken thighs simmer in the broth with the herbs, the meat slowly loosens up and turns tender, and some of the chicken fat and collagen slip into the liquid. The broth starts out thin, but after a while it feels a little fuller and clings more to a spoon. While the chicken rests and is shredded, it keeps that moisture it soaked up in the pot, so it doesn’t dry out when it goes back in at the end.

Once the vegetables go into the same pot, they soften in that chicken-heavy liquid instead of plain water. They take on some of the broth, and at the same time a bit of their starch and sweetness move into the pot, so the soup feels thicker and not watery.

When the dumpling dough is dropped into the simmering broth, the outside of each dumpling sets right away, so the dough doesn’t fall apart. Inside, the buttermilk and egg keep the dough soft while the baking powder and baking soda puff it up. By the time they are cooked through, the dumplings are fluffy but still hold their shape as they soak in the herby chicken broth.

Mistakes To Avoid

Boiling the chicken hard the whole time instead of keeping it at a gentle simmer can make the thighs tough on the outside and stringy when shredded. The broth also reduces too fast, so by the time the dumplings go in, there isn’t enough liquid and everything turns thick and pasty instead of soupy.

Adding the dumplings before the vegetables have softened leaves the carrots and celery still firm by the time the dumplings are done. The cook then has to keep simmering to soften the vegetables, and the dumplings soak too much liquid and turn heavy and gummy.

Overmixing the dumpling dough is another common problem. When the wet and dry ingredients are stirred until totally smooth, the gluten tightens up and the dumplings cook up dense and bready instead of light and fluffy.

Lifting the lid over and over while the dumplings cook lets out steam and drops the temperature in the pot. The dumplings then cook unevenly, with the tops staying doughy while the bottoms start to fall apart into the broth.