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Chicken & Dumplings

with roasted butternut squash

  • 4-6 Servings
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Suggested Pairing: A rich Chardonnay

Ingredients

Butternut Squash
  • 2 cups ¾ in diced butternut squash (Superior Foods Featured Item: #10884 – Maple Leaf Farms)
  • 3  Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼  tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Stew
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 Qt chicken stock
  • 6 Tbsp butter
  • ½  onion, small dice
  • 1 cup carrots, small dice 
  • 1 cup celery stalks, small dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼  tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ cup cream
  • Chives, chopped
Dumplings
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp thyme leaves, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp cold butter, grated
  • ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp cold buttermilk

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 425 °F. Toss squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and add season squash. Spread evenly across sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until there is good caramelization. 
  2. Season  chicken thighs on all sides with salt and black pepper, then simmer  in chicken stock in a medium saucepan for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from stock and cut into desired pieces. (chicken will be cooked further)
  3. Add  butter to a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, seasoning with 1 teaspoon  salt & ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Dust the flour over the veggies, stirring to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until lightly browned. While scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Add cumin, & pumpkin pie spice. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 
  5. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. Pepper,  and thyme in a medium bowl. Add cold butter to dry ingredient and mix briefly with a fork. Stir buttermilk into dry ingredients just until dough comes together (be careful not to overmix or dumplings will be tough).
  6. Add cream and roasted squash pieces to stew and return to a simmer. Drop tablespoon-size portions of dough into stew. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and check dumplings for doneness: They will be considerably larger and  cover most of the stew. If they’re not fully cooked, cover and cook 2 minutes more.
  7. Portion out and garnish with chopped chives.