Chicken and dumplings from Cook's Illustrated

I get free magazines from work. It's pretty cool, I love magazines. It takes me forever to get through them all, though. I just finished last months Cook's Illustrated and decided to make this for dinner, and Alex was soooo happy. He loves soups and I love dumplings, we're a good pair.

Chicken and Dumplings

From Cook's Illustrated, kind of.

6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

salt and pepper

2 t olive oil

2 small onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 bulb fennel, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1 c quartered mushrooms

1/2 c white wine

1 t thyme

6 c chicken broth

1 pound chicken wings

Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper. Heat up the oil in a Dutch oven until it shimmers, then sear the chicken on both sides to brown. Remove the chicken, pour out all but a tablespoon of the oil, and stir in all the veggies. Cook slowly until they start to caramelize, then stir in the wine and thyme, scraping the brown bits off the bottom. Add the thighs back to the pan, along with the broth and chicken wings. Cover and simmer 45-55 minutes, until the chicken is almost falling off the bones. Remove the meat from the pan and let cool. Skim the fat off the top, and shred the chicken back into the pot. Bring to a slow simmer while you make the dumplings.

Dumplings:

2 c rice flour mix

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t xanthan gum

1 t sugar

1 t salt

3/4 c buttermilk (or 1/2 c milk and 1/4 c sour cream or yogurt)

4 T butter, melted and cooled

1 egg white

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Stir the butter into the buttermilk, then stir in the egg white. Pour into the flour mixture, and stir slowly until just incorporated. Don't over mix! Drop by large teaspoonfuls into the simmering broth. Cover with a dish towel and then a lid, and cook for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the dumplings have doubled in size.