Alton Brown's chicken and dumplings

The next new offering from Alton Brown is the Chicken and Dumpling episode of Good Eats on Monday 3/22; therefore I found this the perfect time to discuss said offering from AB's cookbook and my "discovery" of it.

Like all good Southerners, I knew of this traditional soup from an early age. But, oddly, my mom never cooked the dish. I remember it being a staple for my grandma but I after became older and spent less time at her house the dish all but disappeared to me. My mom had always balked at chicken and dumplings telling me they were nasty and pasty--akin to AB's phrase of library paste I suppose. So I never ventured to make the dish since mom was so adamant about disliking it.

A few years ago, while on a trip, my friend ordered a plate of chicken and dumplings at a little restaurant called Jane's Lunch Box in Johnson City, Tenn. I will refrain from waxing poetic about the amazing chicken salad at this locale. Anyway, she got an equally fabulous meal with the chicken and dumplings. Seeing they looked mighty tempting, I asked to try some. Despite what my mother told me, chicken and dumplings were good, not pasty and something I certainly would enjoy making at home.

Next step find a trusted source. Since a family recipe was obviously out of the picture, I went to Alton's cookbook I'm Just Here for More Food vaguely remembering putting a sticky tab on a recipe for chicken and dumplings. Sure enough, I had marked it for something to try at some later date. This was perfect and I headed off to discover why chicken and dumplings were so hated by my mom.

In Alton's version from IJHFMF he discusses the two types of chicken and dumplings, dumpling style and noodle style. Whenever the dish did appear around me, it was always the dumpling style so I chose to opt for the familiar.

A quick perusal revealed this was going to be unlike the chicken and dumplings mom described as nasty and pasty. A traditional mirepoix (1 cup of celery and onion and 1/2 cup of carrots) started off the process, with a little garlic added to the mix. Once the mirepoix cooks for 5-7 minutes, add 6 cups of chicken stock--I admit to sometimes using packaged stock if my freezer doesn't contain homemade stock--and simmer for 10 minutes.

In the dumpling department, I did change AB's use of lard to solid shortening for the dumplings. The dumplings are constructed using the biscuit method. Thanks to Alton's great instruction on making biscuits in "The Dough also Rises," this step is simple and worry free. With the dough completed, make balls of it (using a disher or small circular cookie cutter) and drop then into stock and cook (covered) for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

This version of chicken and dumplings quickly became a favorite for the addition of herbage. AB notes you can add parsley, tarragon, thyme or chive to the sage and ground mustard in the recipe. I have played around this part and find the inclusion of tarragon (one of my favorite herbs) to be a welcome addition and elevates the dish.

And because of this version of chicken and dumplings it changed my mom's opinion of the dish. She was won over by the cream, but not pasty, gravy, the veggie and herbal addition and the soft fluffy dumplings.

I am very interested in seeing the GE treatment of the dish on Monday!