If you’re racking your brain to figure out how to throw a holiday dinner party without serving ramen, then this is the meal for you. Everything can be cooked on one burner, in stages. The ingredients are inexpensive, but the result is a creamy, delicious chicken stew and a dessert that is deceptively simple to make but will have your friends thinking you are a true gourmand.
The chicken and dumplings recipe is from my favorite cooking magazine, Cook’s Illustrated; the salad is from my kitchen, and I discovered the dessert years ago with friends.
Salad
Greens, your choice
Currants, raisins or dried cranberries
Goat cheese, crumbled
Toasted candied pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts*
*To toast the nuts, heat skillet to medium high and add nuts. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Set aside to cool.
Dressing
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons champagne or other type of wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
Mix everything except olive oil. Whisk in oil gradually, or place everything in an airtight container and shake well until ingredients combine.
Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 4–6
5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 medium cloves garlic, minced fine
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry sherry*
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
*You may omit the sherry, but it really does add a wonderful and rich flavor to your stew. If you don’t want to buy a bottle, you could ask one of your favorite restaurants if you could buy 3/4 cup—I bet they have some in their kitchen and would be happy to share!
Over a medium-high heat, bring broth to a simmer and add chicken. Cover and simmer until chicken is just cooked, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl and cover, set stock aside for later.
Over medium-high heat, melt butter and add carrots, onion and salt. Cook for roughly seven minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (less than a minute). Add flour and stir constantly for a minute. Add sherry to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that accumulate on the bottom of your pan (if you choose to omit sherry, add some of your reserved chicken stock). Now add remaining stock, cream, fresh ground pepper and bay leaves. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer. After approximately 20 minutes, the sauce should start to thicken. Depending on your burner, it may take a little longer. Remove bay leaves. Shred chicken (I find using two forks works best for this). Set aside covered.
All the previous steps can be completed the day before. Simply store chicken and sauce separately.
Bring sauce to a simmer, add chicken, peas and three tablespoons of parsley. Taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper gradually until all the flavors click together.
Dumplings: Mix dry ingredients and stir in cream. Mix until it starts to come together, the dough will be very thick and rough looking. Using two spoons, make two-inch balls—don’t worry they won’t be perfect—and gently place them in the stew, 1/4 inch apart.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until dumplings grow in size two-fold. This can take from 20–30 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Dulce de leche
Translated, this means “sweet from milk.” This South American dessert is a rich caramel that can be served over poached pears, apples or vanilla ice cream. It is also wonderful on its own.
Remove the label from 1 can of condensed milk and place the can in a deep pot. Fill with water, well above the top of the can and bring to a boil for three hours. You will need to keep and eye on this, add more water constantly to keep it from getting below the top of the can. If the water level drops below the can, it will explode.
You can make this a day or two in advance, transfer to a microwave bowl and reheat when you are ready to serve. But, if you do make this in advance, try not to eat it all on your own!