ed board to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into strips that are one-inch wide and two-inches long. Set dumplings aside until needed.
1 cooked, skinned, and boned 5 to 6 pound chicken. (cut the meat cut into ½-inch pieces)
8 cups fresh chicken broth
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
2 ribs celery, diced medium
½ tsp. dried sage leaves
½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
3 Tbsp. margarine or butter
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, diced medium
1 pound fresh carrots, peeled and cut into medium size chunks
¼ cup cold chicken broth
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
Kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 recipe of dumpling dough (see previous recipe)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1. Skin and bone the chicken, then dice the meat. Hold the diced chicken in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
2. Put the eight cups of fresh broth in a Dutch ovenor other heavy-bottom pot large enough to comfortably hold all of the ingredientsalong with the bay leaf, celery, sage, and thyme. Place the pot on a medium flame, bring it to a boil and simmer until the broth is reduced to about 6 cups. This will take about 20 minutes.
3. While the broth is reducing, melt the margarine in a cast iron skillet, or other heavy-bottom skillet. Sauté the onions until they turn a medium brown. Stir the onions frequently to prevent them from burning. If the oil in the pan evaporates before the onions are done, add a tablespoon of the simmering broth to the pan.
4. Deglaze the skillet by adding a cup of simmering broth to the browned onions. Simmer the onions until the pan is completely deglazed and the broth has turned a light brown color. What we have done here is create a flavor enhancer by subjecting the onions to a controlled high heat. Food scientists call this a Maillard reaction or browning reaction. The process creates a rich flavor and color similar to the crust of fresh baked bread, coffee beans, and the roasted malt used in dark beers and ales.
5. Add flavored onion mixture and the fresh carrots to the broth.
6. When the broth returns to a simmer, combine the cold chicken broth with the flour and mix until there are no lumps. Slowly stir this paste into the simmering broth. Continue stirring until the mixture shows signs of thickening, which will only be slight. Continue simmering until the carrots are tender. This is a good time to make your dumplings if you didn't before you started the stew.
7. Add your dumplings to the simmering broth mixture. Simmer the dumplings until they are raised, and cooked through.
8. Gently stir in the chicken meat, thawed peas, salt, and pepper. Simmer the stew until the chicken and peas are heated through. Serve immediately.
Chicken, vegetable, and pasta medley
This is my newest chicken recipe. It has been a regular item in my house for the past three months. The recipe blends mild tasting chicken breast meat with the more flavorful thigh meat and I enhance this mixture by marinating it in a light Oriental style marinade. I use a preparation and assembly method that resembles stir frying. I like it because it helps maintain integrity of the different textures and flavors present in the dish, particularly the flavor and texture of the light and dark chicken meat. One of the real benefits of industrialized chicken, though many will disagree, is its extremely mild tasting flesh that will readily take on the flavor of other ingredients without loosing its own. Chinese chefs are masters at infusing chicken meat with the natural flavor of various ingredients, then cooking the chicken quickly to prevent the introduced flavors from masking that of the chicken. Many contemporary Italian chefs have mastered this concept also. They have developed chicken and pasta recipes that are easy to prepare, low in fat, and taste as if they required a major effort in the kitchen. This recipe is my own contribution to this great concept.
The preparation for this dish resembles that of many Chinese stir recipes. All of the ingredients are prepared ahead of time and set aside in the order that they will be incorporated into the recipe. I suggest yo