Ingredients
For the chicken and chicken stock
- 1 whole chicken (~4-5 lbs) *Note: you will not need all of this chicken for this dish, so you will have some for a second meal
- 4 stalks of celery, cut into 2 to 3" pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3" pieces
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- ~1 TBSP black peppercorns
- 3 TBSP butter
- 1 1/2 c each of diced onion, carrots, and celery
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/3 c flour
- 1/2 c half and half (or heavy cream)
- 1 TBSP each of chopped fresh thyme, sage, and parsley (use 1 tsp of dried if you do not have fresh herbs on hand)
- 2 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 c salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 buttermilk
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 egg
- For the chicken and stock: In a large stockpot, place the chicken, vegetables, and peppercorns; add enough water to slightly cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is tender (approximately 2 hours). An alternative option (which is what I did using a frozen chicken), is to use an Instant Pot and use the 'Soup/Broth' function on the 'More' setting for 4 hours. Note: if you have a thawed chicken, you can reduce your cooking time in the Instant Pot.
- Once the chicken is done, remove it using tongs from the broth and place in a bowl, allowing it to cool until you can comfortably handle it. Separate the meat from the bones and skin. Dice the meat and use about 3 cups for this dish; the rest can be used for something else (another soup, casserole, etc.). Strain the broth with a colander, discarding the solids. Keep 4 cups of the stock for this dish and save and freeze the rest for another purpose (I had 12 cups leftover, which I am very happy about, as my freezer stash was getting low).
- For the stew: Melt the butter over medium heat and add the carrots, celery, and onions. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until just tender, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour. Add in the 4 cups of reserved chicken stock, stirring as you go. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, add the fresh herbs and half and half, cover, and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
- While the stew is cooking, prepare the biscuit-dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg together; then combine this wet mixture to the dry mixture. Mix until a dough forms. With floured hands, roll the dough into small balls (~1" in diameter).
- Add the cooked, diced chicken to the thickened stew. Increase heat to medium-high and bring stew to a boil. Then, drop the dough balls into the pot, but do not stir. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer (without stirring); the biscuit-dumplings will puff up and be cooked through after about 15 minutes. Enjoy!