Chef Shares His Recipe for Restaurant-Worthy Chicken and Dumplings That Taste Like Home

Roasted chicken, carrots, and homemade dumplings come together in this comfort food staple. Sam Hanna

Even if we tasted all the delicacies the world has to offer, the meals we had as kids are often still the ones that stick with us most. The dish that is nearest and dearest to Eric Cook, chef and owner of Gris-Gris in New Orleans, is his mom’s chicken and dumplings. He shares the recipe in his upcoming cookbook, “Modern Creole.”

“It tastes like home to me,” said Cook. Growing up in South Louisiana, his family insisted on sitting down together for dinner at 6 p.m. every night, and chicken and dumplings were in regular rotation. It was also always his birthday dinner of choice. When Cook decided to open a restaurant, he knew that chicken and dumplings would be on the menu before he even knew the restaurant’s name or location.

He quickly found that he wasn’t the only one who loved the dish.

“One of the greatest moments … is whenever I have a guest come in and order it and get that feeling of home and nostalgia. Hearing other people’s memories that come up just makes me happy,” he said.

Cook sees his mother’s recipe as an heirloom to be passed down. He says he makes it at least once a month at home, especially if someone is sick. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made his own tweaks. His wife, who loves roasted carrots, suggested adding them and the change stuck.

“I tried to keep it very traditional, but I think her addition made it perfect,” said Cook.

He also encourages other home cooks to use his recipes as a loose guideline. “Find your own likes and dislikes. Make these dishes your own, too,” he said.

Most importantly, he encourages them to make their own family food memories.

“I now realize how lucky I was,” he said, reflecting on his childhood family dinners. “Bringing your family to the dining room table, or to the kitchen counter, … will make your life better. The kitchen is called the heart of the home for a reason.”

My Mom’s Chicken and Dumplings

A large rotisserie chicken is the way to go here. Just pull it apart and reserve the bones for stock. The dumplings are a treat, but this quick stew is also just fine over rice or buttered noodles.

Serves 4 to 6

For the Chicken Sauce

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 11/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 quart chicken stock (recipe follows)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried, plus more fresh thyme leaves, for serving
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• Kosher salt

For the Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 11/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the chicken sauce:

Melt the butter in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring well, until caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to fully mix all the ingredients. Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and the bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, then add the chicken, thyme, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir and let the sauce simmer while you make the dumplings.

For the dumplings:

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.

Slowly add the buttermilk while whisking, until the mixture reaches biscuit consistency, about 10 minutes.

To assemble:

Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough directly into the sauce. Place the dumplings around the pot so they don’t clump together. Press them down so they are just under the surface of the sauce.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low so the sauce simmers and the dumplings cook. After 15 minutes, remove one dumpling and cut it in half. If it has the same opaque texture all the way through, then it’s done. If it is doughy in the center, cook the remaining dumplings for 3 minutes longer. Don’t overcook or the dumplings will fall apart.

Serve garnished with fresh thyme.

Chicken Stock

Makes 1 gallon

• 2 pounds chicken bones, raw or roasted (roasted bones will result in a darker stock)
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Place the chicken bones in a stockpot set over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, peppercorns, and 1 gallon cold water and cook at a very low simmer (do not boil) for a minimum of 3 hours.

Cool and strain the stock. Discard the solids. Can freeze in an airtight container for 2 months or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe excerpted from “Modern Creole: A Taste of New Orleans Culture and Cuisine“ by Eric Cook with Jyl Benson. Photography by Sam Hanna. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith Books.

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