Cooking with Roz

Heat fat in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Lightly brown chicken in hot oil in batches, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Add onion to drippings and cook until softened; add garlic and cook another minute. Add a splash of the broth to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return chicken to pot, pour in chicken broth and top off with enough water just to cover, add salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and let cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 90 minutes, depending on size.

Remove chicken and set aside to cool before pulling meat from bones.

For the dumplings, cut cold butter into flour until it is crumbly.

Add milk to form a soft dough and turn out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll to 1/4 inch thick, cut into squares and sprinkle top lightly with additional flour; cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest until needed.

Check broth for any stray bones and remove; bring to a rolling boil. Drop in dumplings, one at a time until all are in the pot, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and let cook without lifting lid for 40 minutes.

Remove lid, gently push dumplings aside and stir in chicken, heat until warmed through, taste add salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, as needed and serve.

NOTES

The flour on the dumplings helps to thicken the broth since there's no roux. If you'd like to thicken it further, stir in some Wondra quick mixing flour before adding the chicken. You should have about 3 to 4 cups cooked chicken. I like to buy a larger chicken since it cooks in about the same time and put up the rest in the freezer. The stew portion can be made in advance and refrigerated. Solidified fat may be scraped off the top to reduce fat calories if you prefer.