December 2023 called for comfort food. Plus, we needed to use our new Lodge Dutch oven. I had been thinking about the dumplings of my childhood and thought this fit the bill. We were very happy with the results, and it has that soothing old-fashioned flavor. It tastes even better the second day when the dumplings have had a chance to soak up all of the wonderful juices. This takes about 1 1/2 hours to prepare.

Serves 4

Creamy Chicken Soup

• 5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
• 4-5 tablespoons of butter (1 T for a roux and as needed to replace chicken fat)
• 1  1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery stalks
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons jarred chicken stock base
• 1 small bunch thyme sprigs, tied with kitchen twine, plus fresh thyme leaves for garnish
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup heavy cream
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• Parsley for garnish

Dumplings

• 1  cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Sprinkle chicken thighs evenly with salt and black pepper (to taste).
2. Heat oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken, skin side down, and cook undisturbed until the skin is browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until it is browned on the other side, another 5 minutes or so.
3. Transfer the chicken to a large plate, and pour the fat into a measuring cup. If you run short of fat from here forward, replace it with an equal tablespoon of butter as noted in the ingredient list.
4. Leaving all the browned bits in the pot, return 3 tablespoons of fat to the pot. I actually pulled the cooked skin and cut it with scissors to create more “bits” for the soup.

5. Add the onion, celery, and 1 cup of carrots to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat, stirring to scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in 8 cups water, stock base, and thyme sprigs. Return the chicken to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken registers at least 165°F, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Remove the chicken and transfer it to a plate to cool.
8. Strain the stock into another pot and wipe out the Dutch oven, then create your roux. Heat 3 tablespoons of the chicken fat along with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat (if you don’t have enough chicken fat, use enough butter to equal 4 tablespoons of fat). Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly until it’s all a pale golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken stock until no lumps remain and bring to a boil. Add remaining carrots, season, and lower the heat to simmer until carrots are just tender, 5-8 minutes.
10. Shred chicken, discarding any remaining skin and bones.
11. Add the leeks and shredded chicken to the Dutch oven. Stir in cream, then salt and pepper to taste. Return to simmer.
12. Mix together the ingredients for the dough stirring until just combined.
13. Drop spoonfuls of dough into simmering broth and cook for 5-7 minutes until dumplings are fully cooked (a toothpick will come clean when tested in the center of dumplings).
14. Spoon into bowls and garnish with thyme and/or parsley leaves and pepper.

Note: The amount of salt is up to you. I often use minimal amounts of salt while cooking and then add more near the end or after foods have been plated. You can always add salt–but you can’t take it away. We also enjoy thyme as an herb and chose to highlight it rather than add poultry seasoning. If you have another herb that you love, use that in place of or alongside the thyme. This is just a basic recipe. Make it your own.