Shortcut Chicken Stew with Fluffy Dumplings

This incredible comfort food dish uses rotisserie chicken meat as a shortcut. I made it even more of a shortcut by using my pre-made homemade stock, but I included the chicken stock instructions in the recipe below.

This recipe was loosely adapted from cookbook author Sheri Castle, via The Washington Post. The broth was rich and flavorful and the dumplings were the icing on the cake. Fluffy and fabulous. This is truly the perfect dish to serve on a cold winter night.

Yield: 6-8 servings

For the Stock & Stew:

1 large rotisserie chicken (Costco size) or 2 small rotisserie chickens
4 cups cold water (to make the stock) or 4 cups or homemade poultry stock (for a shortcut)
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock (store-bought or homemade) (4 cups if using pre-made homemade stock)
3 large thyme sprigs (to make stock)
2-3 tsp Kosher salt, plus more as needed, divided
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 medium ribs celery, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 medium carrots, scrubbed well and cut into thin rounds (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

For the Dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
6 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
3/4 cup half-and-half
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

For the Stock & Stew:

Pull the meat from the chicken(s) and tear it into largish bite-size pieces; cover and refrigerate until needed.
I substituted/used 4 cups of homemade turkey stock instead of making stock with the chicken carcass. *If making the chicken stock base, place the carcass and skin in a large saucepan or small pot. Add the cold water, 8 cups broth, thyme sprigs and 1 teaspoon of the salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for about an hour, until the carcass falls apart and the liquid reduces to about 8 cups and tastes like rich chicken soup. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large saucepan; discard solids.*
If using pre-made stock, combine the 4 cups homemade stock with 4 cups of store-bought chicken stock. Stir the vinegar into the stock, season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm on the lowest heat setting.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, thyme leaves and a pinch of salt, stirring to coat. Cook for 8 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring often.
Add the 8 cups stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Carefully watch the heat to ensure that the stock doesn’t boil over.
Season with 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste) and the pepper.
Stir in the reserved shredded rotisserie chicken meat; reduce the heat to low.

For the Dumplings & to Finish the Dish:

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and pepper in a medium bowl.
Work in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly.
Add the half-and-half and stir only until combined to form a soft, sticky dough.
Bring the chicken stew to a boil over medium-high heat. Use a 1-ounce scoop (I used a large cookie scoop) or two soup spoons to drop golf-ball-size dumplings evenly over the surface of the stew. The hot liquid seals the dumplings so that they rise instead of spread.
Reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dumplings are firm, fluffy and somewhat dry on top. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid- if the heat escapes, the dumplings may deflate.
Uncover and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

View all posts by Josette@thebrookcook →