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Chicken, Cornmeal Dumplings, and Collards

Servings: 8
Closeup photo of chicken and cornbread dumplings

Ingredients
 

Soup

  • 10 cups chicken stock
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 cups collard greens, tough stems removed, cut into fork-sized pieces
  • 3 carrots, cut into coins
  • ½ large, white onion, diced
  • ½ tsp rosemary, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp dill, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp chives, finely diced
  • ½ tsp thyme, finely diced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • hot sauce, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Dumplings

  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 tbsp sugar (or less, to taste)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick chilled butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp chives

Directions

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, bring chicken stock to a low rolling boil. Add chicken thighs. I used frozen chicken thighs, but if you have fresh, you will likely not need as much stock or broth to begin with because the chicken will take less time to cook and therefore less stock will cook off. If you are using frozen chicken, wait until the chicken is thawed before you add your onions and carrots, but if you're using fresh, the chicken, onions, and carrots can all go in the pot at the same time. You just don't want to end up with mushy carrots.
  • While your chicken cooks, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, chilled butter, buttermilk and chives together with a pastry cutter or forks at first, then with your hands. You want to mix it until it is JUST combined and no longer sticky and not a second more or you will end up with dense dumplings. If they seem too sticky, you can always add more flour, one teaspoon at a time until they reach the right texture. If they're too crumbly, add milk one teaspoon at a time. These are meant to be "drop" dumplings, so you should be able to pinch off a piece and gently make it into a ball-adjacent shape before dropping it into the stock. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or so.
  • Once the chicken has cooked to 165 degrees, pull it out of the stock, and set aside to let it cool.
  • Add collards, wine and vinegar to the stock.
  • Pinch off or scoop walnut-sized dumplings with a spoon one-at-a-time and put them into the simmering stock. Gently stir, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the dumplings have puffed and are cooked throughout.
  • While the dumplings are simmering, cube or pull the chicken, removing any skin or bone.
  • When the dumplings are finished, add the cubed chicken back into the stock along with the herbs, and add a few dashes of hot sauce (or ACV, wine, or a combo thereof), salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to let the flavors marry.
  • Serve immediately and watch out for angry grandmas, omas, bubbies, and anyone else who will be very upset that you changed the recipe.