Chicken and Slicks (dumplings - Cooks Country)

Chicken and Slicks

1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

1 1/2 pounds bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed, halved crosswise

Salt & pepper

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

7 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Toast 6 tablespoons flour in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer flour to medium bowl and wipe out pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch over over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Pour fat (you should have about 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; set aside.

Add onion and 1 tablespoon more oil to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 7 cups broth, chicken and bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to clean plate; remove bay leaves. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces and set aside, discarding bones.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, reserved fat and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in liquid measuring cup. If reserved fat doesn't equal 2 tablespoons, then add enough oil to the fat to equal 2 tablespoons (should have altogether 3 tablespoons combined fat and oil). Process remaining 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor until combined. With machine running, slowly pour in broth mixture and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead until smooth. Divide in half. (Dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day; let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before proceeding with the next step.)

Roll each dough half into 10-inch square. Cut each square into twenty 5 by 1-inch rectangles. Place handful of noodles in single layer on parchment paper-lined plate, cover with another sheet of parchment, and repeat stacking with remaining noodles and additional parchment, ending with parchment. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

Return broth to simmer and add noodles. Cook until noodles are nearly tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate. Remove 1 cup broth from pot and whisk into reserved toasted flour. Stir broth-flour mixture into pot, being careful not to break up noodles, and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and parsley and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

So, how does it taste? Delicious. There's a rich chickeny-flavor throughout the dish, in each bite. It also gets better on the second day. The slicks are also tasty. B thinks it needs more seasoning (he thought sage) and more broth (more on that later).

How did the recipe work? The stew part was pretty easy. Browning the flour, browning the chicken, then adding chicken stock and seasonings. The hard part was, as I figured, the slicks. It all processed well, but how much kneading is enough? I just never know. And does anyone keep a ruler in their kitchen? I never know how long 10-inches are. Or 1-inch. Or whatever is required. I hope that it will be easier as I make the recipe more, but I'm pretty sure I never created a 10-inch square, and the slicks weren't quite uniform in thickness. Once that was done, however, it was pretty easy from there.

I finished the recipe two hours before we were to eat. I decided in my vast wisdom to leave it on the stove at low. It essentially simmered for another two hours as I did other things. So the broth boiled away and some of the slicks became glued to the bottom of the pan (it had to soak overnight). That's why B complains about the lack of broth.

What did the family think? For the first time since the kids became toddlers, the kids seemed to really enjoy what I fed them. Wow. Finally. They both handled their spoons well and seemed to enjoy both the broth and the slicks. I assume some chicken made it in there too. Who knows.

So this is a definite keeper. Try it!