Chicken and dumplings with herbs...

...in the slow cooker.

Winter is coming on and young men's fancy turns to comfort food. Warming the cockles of the heart today, I present an all time favorite, Chicken and Dumplings. This will serve 4 really hungry young'uns or 6 not-so-hungry ones. I, like my late father, am not fond of boiled chicken and, since that is the basis of most recipes for this dish, we don't have it much. I think he would approve of this variation as it's boosted with garlic, herbs and pearl onions. Use as much or as little garlic and herbs as you like as this is an individual judgment call on the cook's part. This recipe is a combination of ideas and ingredients from several sources. I would like to thank Annie for the sour cream/yogurt idea, in particular.

Unlike many recipes I have seen, this one doesn't have cream of chicken, mushroom or celery soup. It's thickened at the end (if it needs to be thickened at all) with either sour cream or a nice smooth yogurt. If you don't like that idea, go ahead and remove your dumplings, chicken and everything, plate them up and make gravy from the liquid in the cooker. After all, it's your table and your crew, do what makes your eaters happy...

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

• 4 - 5 pound chicken, whole
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 pound pearl onions (I use the frozen ones)
• 24 ounces water
• 1/4 cup fine lard
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth (optional)
• 1 cup sour cream or yogurt, room temperature
• 2 cups all purpose flour*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon solid fat or shortening
  
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup buttermilk or soured whole milk**

In a heavy pot, heat the lard until sizzling. Using tongs, add the whole chicken, turning to brown well. Add water, cover and simmer until partially done. This takes about an hour or so and it's more like steaming the bird than boiling since the water will only partially cover the bird. Turn off heat and remove chicken from pot, let it cool enough to handle and cut thighs off, remove backbone and cut through the breastbone into halves. Place chicken in cooker, turn to high to preheat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Add onions around the bird.

While chicken is cooling, return pot to stove top and bring to boil. Add thighs to pot and contents of gizzard bag if you want to. Add vermouth. When liquid has come to a full boil, carefully pour over the ingredients in the cooker then cover.

Cook for 5 - 6 hours, depending on your particular cooker's settings. When chicken is done and falling from bones, strain all ingredients through a colander. Pick chicken from bones, return to cooker with onions. I don't put the bay leaves back in but you can if you want. If you think there is too much broth to leave room for dumplings, don't use all of it. Just jar it up and put it in the freezer for future use.

Your broth will have cooled some so pour the broth over the chicken, turn the cooker to high and proceed to dumpling making. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Work fat in until the consistency is like coarse meal. Add milk, gradually stirring with a fork until just moistened. When broth is bubbling, pinch off hunks of the dumpling dough and drop right in with chicken, onions and broth. Recover and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until dumplings are done.

Remove dumplings, chicken, onions, plate and cover. At this point you can either stir the sour cream into the broth and dress the plated food or make gravy. It's up to you.

* Or use equivalent baking mix.
** You can use evaporated milk, too. Just proceed as usual, sour the e.m. and add to the dry.