Chicken and Dumplings

Excuse me Internet, but January has been the month from hell. Thus, even though I made this dish about three weeks ago, I am only getting around to posting about it now.

But it’s okay — this dish is perfect for the cold month of February. It was pretty easy to make, too. I was a little intimidated by the dumplings, but they were super easy and turned out really well. This dish was very good as leftovers the next day, too. One thing I will say is that you may want to add more chicken stock than the recipe calls for. It thickens up a lot as it cooks. I added more to mine. My mom made it and she didn’t and lamented that there wasn’t much broth. So, use your best judgment.

This is perfect for a cold day/night when you’re craving some comfort food. I didn’t serve it with anything else — it’s pretty  much a one pot meal.

Chicken and Dumplings with Leeks and Tarragon
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, February 2005

*You should not use low-fat or fat-free milk in this recipe.
*Start the dumpling dough only when you’re ready to top the stew with the dumplings.

Serves 6 to 8

Stew
5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Table salt and ground black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2 medium leeks , white and llight green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, minced
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen green peas
3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves

Dumplings
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

1. For the stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.

4. For the dumplings: Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper. Following the steps below, drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

To make the dumplings: Gather a golf-ball-sized portion of the dumpling batter onto a soup spoon, then push the dumpling onto the stew using a second spoon. Cover the stew with the dumplings, leaving about 1/4 inch between each. When fully cooked, the dumplings will have doubled in size.

Salmon Cakes

I think I’m going to rename this blog “Laura’s Strange and Unexplainable Food Preferences.” We’ve already discussed my dislike of anything that seems innately wrong (sour cream) or has a strange texture (cottage cheese). Add this one to the list: I don’t like fresh salmon, but I like canned salmon. It’s kind of like how I prefer Ocean Spray cranberries in a can to fresh cranberries or cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. Listen folks, there’s no accounting for taste … especially mine. Just deal with it (Adam).

Anyway, back to canned salmon. Salmon salad was a fairly frequent dinner staple at my house growing up. And always with the same things: mashed potatoes and peas. I hate peas, but that’s a different story for a different day. Salmon salad is like tuna salad. You mix in some mayonnaise and serve it cold. This is still a viable option, but a few months ago, I came across this recipe. These are really good. You can eat them by themselves, or you can make a sandwich out of them. Anyway, they’re easy, quick, and cheap, and perfect to throw together for a weeknight dinner.

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cans salmon (about 6 oz. each)
• 3 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp drained pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
• 2 dashes hot sauce
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1. Empty the salmon into a small colander to drain. Flake the salmon in the colander, then transfer to a medium bowl. Combine chopped celery and onion with the salmon in the bowl and fold together gently with a rubber spatula.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayo, mustard, relish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika, and hot sauce, and then gently fold into salmon mixture.
3. In same small bowl, crack open one egg. Whisk vigorously, then fold into salmon mixture along with ½ cup panko.
4. Pour out about another ½ cup panko onto a plate.
5. Pick up about a palmful of salmon mixture, and roll it gently between your hands to form a patty. Coat the patty with breadcrumbs and transfer to a flat-bottomed dish. Repeat until you have used all the salmon mixture.
6. Transfer patties to the fridge to chill for about an hour.
7. Remove chilled cakes from fridge. Heat 2 tbsps canola oil in non-stick skillet. Carefully transfer cakes to skillet.  Let them cook about 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Transfer to paper-towel lined plate to drain, then serve immediately.

Garlic Soy Chicken Thighs

I love chicken thighs for several reasons. One, they’re really cheap. And two, I’m a dark meat girl. Don’t get me wrong, I buy as many boneless skinless chicken breasts as the next girl, but every once in a while, I really want some good dark meat chicken.

Adam was working late one night a few weeks ago. Scratch that. Adam was staying work at late to play video games a few weeks ago, so I decided to make this dinner for myself. Don’t worry, I kept it warm for him, and it was apparently just as good several hours after the fact. I served it with teriyaki rice (from a box, let’s not get too ambitious) and green beans. Then I had one of those moments where you’ve been feeding someone green beans for six months and all of the sudden he tells you he doesn’t actually really like green beans all that much. So next time, I’ll make it with broccoli to appease the boyfriend.

This marinade came together really quickly. I marinated the chicken for about a half an hour on each side (because it was late and I hungry). I also based the chicken a couple of times with the sauce while it was baking. It turned out perfectly, and was also good as leftovers.

So, I’m sure you’re sick of poultry this week, but file this one away for an easy, cheap, yummy dinner.

Garlic Soy Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 chicken thighs (mine had skin, but you can use skinless)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• crushed red pepper (1 tsp. or more, to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, onion, garlic, and spices
2. Place the chicken thighs and your marinade into a large plastic bag and marinate for 1-2 hours.
3. Place the thighs skin side up in a baking dish that leaves just a bit of room, but not too much, between each chicken thigh. Pour the marinade over the thighs.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 – 40 minutes. Baste the chicken with the marinade occasionally if you wish.