I have been trying to figure out how to make this dish "right" ever since I was diagnosed with celiac disease -- I've tried literally dozens of adaptations -- and finally I'm confident I've gotten it perfect. My starting point for these was the version served at Atlanta's Flying Biscuit Café. Thick, creamy, and featuring delicious and light dumplings, this is primo comfort food. It's also a great cooking project for kids -- my four-year-old loved making the dumplings with me.
Prep Time: 0:15
Cook Time: 1:45
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (3 - 4 pounds), rinsed, giblets removed
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 large carrots, divided (3 peeled and coarsely chopped, 3 peeled and diced)
- 4 large sprigs fresh thyme, or 2 tsp. dried
- 3 tsp. salt (divided)
- freshly ground pepper
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 c heavy cream
- 4 c rice flour
- 1 c potato starch
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried, plus (optional) fresh sprigs for garnish
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1/2 c butter or shortening
- 1 1/2 c cold water, or more if necessary
Preparation:
- Place chicken, onion, chopped carrots, thyme, 2 tsp. salt, several grinds pepper, and celery in a large stockpot. Cover with enough water to come about one inch over the chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Boil gently until the meat is falling off the bone, about one hour.
- Remove chicken from pot, tear from bones into bite-sized pieces, and reserve. Strain out vegetables and discard, returning the chicken stock to the original pot. (The very easiest way to do this is to use a chinois or a small strainer and to remove the vegetables from the stock, leaving the stock in the pot. It doesn't make for perfectly clear stock, but it's much quicker and fine for a rustic dish like this one.)
- While stock is cooking, make the dumplings: in a large bowl, mix together rice flour, potato starch, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, thyme, and sage. Cut butter or shortening into small cubes (about the size of peas) and work into the flour mixture with your hands, until the butter is thoroughly mixed and the batter resembles cornmeal.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the water and work in with your hands until you have a thick dough. You may need a little more water to be able to work all the flour in, but the dough should be very thick -- not watery. (The optimal texture is biscuit dough, not pancake batter.)
- To make dumplings, pinch off about one-half tablespoon and flatten in your hand until dumplings are very thin. You will end up with dozens of dumplings. Alternately, you can roll out dumpling dough and cut out dumplings with a small biscuit cutter.
- Return chicken to stock, add dumplings and cream, and cook gently over medium-low heat for forty minutes, stirring frequently. About fifteen minutes before end of cooking time, add diced carrots. Adjust seasonings for salt and pepper before serving.
Serve garnished with fresh thyme. Serves 6-8.
