Chicken and Dumplings and a Walk for Two [AAW10]
"Now for something completely different" - John Cleese
So, after the holiday hustle and bustle you will need to spend some quiet time with the special person in your life. I humbly offer this idea: simple, slow food and a long walk outside in the fresh air.
Here’s what you’ll need for a lovely afternoon with a friend.
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2-3 Celery stalks
2-3 Carrots
1 Medium Onion
1 tsp Sage
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Parsley
0.5 tsp Tumeric
4 Garlic cloves
1 Quart Chicken stock, low sodium
Salt, kosher
Pepper mill, loaded.
Comfortable walking shoes and appropriate clothing for your local weather.
1) Turn on oven to 300 degrees F. Dredge chicken breasts in whole wheat flour, salt and pepper liberally, then brown on the stovetop with a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan or dutch oven. What ever you use, remember it has to go in the oven so no melting handles please.
2) After chicken browns sufficiently (no need to cook thoroughly at this step), remove chicken, add chopped celery, carrots, onion, garlic and herbs and sauté until onions are translucent. Chop them fine or chunky, however you like. I like them chunky. Add more olive oil if necessary.
3) Add all but 3/4 cup chicken stock to saucepan to deglaze, stir to remove fond and return chicken breasts to sauce pan (they should be covered in broth). Bring to boil, cover then place in 275-300 degree F oven for two hours. Put the remaining chicken stock in the fridge. You'll need it for the dumplings.
4) Go for a walk. Here’s where you earn your supper. Four to six miles over 90 minutes burns 500 to 800 calories. The chicken and dumplings will taste better and you’ll feel better. That second helping will be completely guilt free.
Ryan Gulch is always a nice close-by walk for us.
5) Welcome back! The house should smell amazingly delicious. Stretch a bit, drink some water and check the pot. Now, pour yourself a glass of wine (whatever you like, white or red) and proceed. To me, a light bodied red (Pinot noir) or a crisp white (Pinot gris) pairs well with this meal. But always remember, the appropriate wine is the wine you like. Beer is an equally valid option - as always.
6) Remove pot from oven and take out the chicken breasts. They should be falling apart tender. Now, chop/shred into bite sized pieces and return to pot. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. The dumplings are going in soon. If you are worried that you may not have room in the pot, take some time to reduce the liquid by gently simmering on the stove without the lid.
When it is about 40 minutes before you are ready to eat, proceed to Step #7.
7) Make the dumplings:
1.25 cups Whole wheat flour
0.25 cups Whole grain (aka whole germ) corn meal
2 tsp Baking powder
1+ tsp Salt
2 tsp Oregano
2 Tbsp Olive oil
3/4 cups Chicken stock reserved above
So lets get started. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl then mix with fork.
Add olive oil and mix thoroughly with fork until coarse even texture is achieved.
Add chicken stock and stir into dough. Do not over mix, you do not want to develop the gluten. Dough should be moist and a bit sticky, add a spoonful or two of water if it's too dry or a spoonful or two of flour if it's too wet. Or, just go with how it is and don't sweat it. Everything will be fine. Trust me.
Form dough into 1.5-2 inch diameter blobs and place in sauce pan on surface of liquid.
8) Cover and simmer on stove or in oven for 30 mins. The dumplings will almost double in size. They may raise the lid a bit, some of the broth may spill on the bottom of the oven. No worries.
9) After 30 minutes, remove from oven or stove. Let cool a bit if you like or just go ahead and...
10) ...serve with lots of fresh ground black pepper and glasses wine.
I hope you enjoy your afternoon with a friend.