| Total: | 10 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Total: | 10 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 24 Dumplings, recipe follows
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups Pulled Hen meat plus 1 cup reserved broth from cooking the hens, recipe follows
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 stalks celery, cut into small dice
- 1 carrot, cut into small dice
- 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced and browned
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 cup Parmesan Broth, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the parchment
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
- 3 large eggs
- Olive oil, for oiling the dumplings
- One 4- to 4 1/2-pound stewing hen
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 Spanish onions, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 strips smoked thick-cut bacon, diced
- 4 cloves
- 8 Parmesan rinds, roughly chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 quart heavy cream
Instructions
- In a wide saucepot, melt the butter until browned. Add the Dumplings and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the Dumplings are lightly browned. Add the Pulled Hen meat, corn, crushed red pepper, celery, carrots and cooked onions. Add the bourbon and light it on fire to cook off the alcohol. Add the Pulled Hen broth and Parmesan Broth and bring to a simmer. Add the Parmesan and cook until melted into the soup. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide among 4 soup bowls and garnish with some finely chopped chives.
- In a saucepot, combine the buttermilk, butter, granulated garlic and onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and whisk in the flour all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a dough is formed and it pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat. Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix in one egg at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once all the eggs are added, wrap the dough loosely in buttered parchment paper and refrigerate until cool, about 3 hours.
- Dust a rimmed baking sheet with flour and set aside. Unwrap the dough and cut into 4 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll the portions into equal-shaped logs, about 1- to 1 1/2-inches thick. Cut into 1-inch long pieces and transfer to the floured baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to use, or at least 10 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dumplings and allow them to float to the surface, then cook 1 minute more. Remove from the water and drain well, then toss with some olive oil and spread on a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (Dumplings can be prepared up to this point well in advance.)
- In a large pot big enough to hold the hen, place the hen, celery, bay leaves, carrots, onions, parsley and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Skim the broth while it cooks to remove any impurities. Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled, about 4 hours.
- Remove the hen and allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Pull all the meat and mix together the white meat and dark meat evenly, then reserve 2 cups of meat. (Reserve the remaining meat for things like chicken salads, rice dishes, soups, etc.) Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve 1 cup. Any excess broth can be used as chicken stock.
- In a saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned. Add the cloves and lightly toast until they are aromatic. Throw in the Parmesan rinds, bay leaves and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until the Parmesan rinds are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve.
Reviews
It’s above a 5 star meal. Anyone docking points for the time it takes doesn’t appreciate that it’s a refined version of the thick “bready” dumplings from the version they’re used to. Which is part of why this recipe is a million times better. It’s Parisian gnocchi (the same type of dough [choux] used to make creme puffs/eclairs, boiled and sautéed instead of baked). They are light, tender and full of flavor on their own. The parmesan cream is divine and adds a rounded out body and flavor.
The point of this dish isn’t to be super fast, it’s to have one of the best dishes of your life, that you can actually make at home. To be fair, if anyone watched the episode and saw the restaurant make it, you’ll see that they cut down on the work and intricacy here, to make it doable at home. I add in some of the extra steps, like “fermenting” the corn and making chive oil, but I’m weird that way.
Anyway, I’ve made this often, especially for big events, and everyone was blown away at how good it is. It really isn’t hard at all but just requires some planning and time management. If you really need to cut down the time skip the hen instructions and use chicken bone broth and pulled chicken from a roast chicken; but don’t skip the “dumplings” or the parm cream or you’re really missing out on the best parts. Also, plan ahead and ask the cheese counter at your store to save parm rinds for you, they’ll sell them to you for cheap.
The point of this dish isn’t to be super fast, it’s to have one of the best dishes of your life, that you can actually make at home. To be fair, if anyone watched the episode and saw the restaurant make it, you’ll see that they cut down on the work and intricacy here, to make it doable at home. I add in some of the extra steps, like “fermenting” the corn and making chive oil, but I’m weird that way.
Anyway, I’ve made this often, especially for big events, and everyone was blown away at how good it is. It really isn’t hard at all but just requires some planning and time management. If you really need to cut down the time skip the hen instructions and use chicken bone broth and pulled chicken from a roast chicken; but don’t skip the “dumplings” or the parm cream or you’re really missing out on the best parts. Also, plan ahead and ask the cheese counter at your store to save parm rinds for you, they’ll sell them to you for cheap.
Best dumplings I’ve ever had — fluffy and creamy at the same time; the cloves, bay and bacon-infused cream sauce make this a standout worthy of the 5 stars. I did take shortcuts, like braising chicken breasts in stock instead of doing the hen as described (since my spouse doesn’t eat dark meat) and adding extra parmesan cheese because I didn’t have any parm rinds lying around, and even with those modifications, this was a standout. Actual hands-on time even with the original recipe isn’t that much…like many good meals, you’re just waiting for it to be done. Will definitely use the dumpling recipe by itself over and over.
This was heavenly. I cheated by using pulled chicken from a roast I had cooked the day before. Made the dumplings and parmesan cream as written. Made the dumpling dough the day before and the parm cream in the morning. the rest came together pretty quickly at night. The parmesan cream adds incredible depth to the flavor of the broth- this is a keeper!
Absolutely an amazing dish! For those complaining about the time involved, don’t make it. But to give a lesser rating because of something that is clearly stated at the top of the recipe is unfair. If anyone is looking to make a dish that will blow away anyone who has the good fortune to eat it, try this. Thank you chef for such a fabulous, truly wonderful recipe.
do less salt, add more spice and turmeric to the broth. incredible.
Loved it but I made my own bone chicken stock
The recipe was very good however it was extremely time consuming. When one thinks of chicken and dumplings, you think about a fairly quick home cooked comfort meal, not an all day affair.
Amazing recipe. For a more traditional chicken and dumpling type dumpling just cut them up and toss them into your favorite chicken and dumplings base after removing from the fridge following the first cool down.
This was amazing. The dumplings taste more like gnocchi, so husband was somewhat disappointed as he was expecting traditional dumplings. But that parmesan sauce is crazy good. However, the reason for only 4 stars is this is way too much work, it is truly an all day endeavor.