Equipment
Ingredients
Stew Base
- 15 ml olive oil
- 150 g leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and washed thoroughly
- 150 g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1000 ml low-sodium chicken broth
- 100 g green peas, fresh or thawed frozen
- 10 g fresh dill, finely chopped
Artichoke Dumplings
- 100 g canned artichoke hearts, well-drained, patted dry, and finely chopped
- 100 g whole milk ricotta cheese, drained of excess liquid
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 30 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 2 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 473 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbohydrates
- 44 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 697 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 214 mg
- Potassium
- 1708 mg
- Calcium
- 755 mg
- Iron
- 9.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 225 mg
- Phosphorus
- 961 mg
- Zinc
- 3.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 438 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 24 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 35 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.96 mg
- Riboflavin
- 1.58 mg
- Niacin
- 19.6 mg
- Folate
- 198 mcg
- Water
- 221 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Drain and finely chop the artichoke hearts. Press them firmly between paper towels to remove as much residual moisture as possible.
In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped artichokes, ricotta cheese, beaten egg, grated parmesan, salt, baking powder, and flour. Mix gently just until a shaggy, cohesive dough forms.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and carrots, sauteing until they begin to soften and release their sweet aromas, about 5 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the broth. Poach gently until the chicken turns opaque and reaches a safe internal temperature of 74C or 165F, about 8 minutes. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the raw poultry.
Using a spoon, drop walnut-sized portions of the artichoke dumpling batter directly onto the surface of the gently simmering broth. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and let the dumplings steam undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and gently stir in the fresh peas and chopped dill. Let the stew sit off the heat for 2 minutes to warm the peas through without overcooking them, then serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Moisture is the enemy of light, fluffy dumplings. Take the extra minute to wring out your chopped artichoke hearts in a clean kitchen towel or sturdy paper towels.
- If your ricotta is especially watery, let it sit in a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter for twenty minutes before building your dumpling batter.
- Always taste your broth for seasoning right before dropping in the dumplings. Once the dumplings are added, vigorous stirring is impossible without breaking them apart.
- To ensure food safety and prevent cross-contamination, assign a dedicated cutting board solely for raw poultry prep, and wash hands immediately after handling.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store dumplings and stew in separate containers to prevent the dumplings from absorbing too much liquid and becoming mushy.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze the stew base only. The ricotta dumplings will degrade in texture if frozen and thawed.
Reheating: Reheat stew gently on the stovetop over low heat until simmering, then add dumplings to warm through for 3 to 4 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Dumplings dissolve or fall apart in the broth.
Cause: The batter was too wet from improperly drained artichokes, or the broth was at a rolling boil instead of a gentle simmer.
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the dissolved dumplings will thicken the broth into a rich, delicious potage.
Prevention: Squeeze the artichoke hearts completely dry and ensure the broth maintains only gentle, lazy bubbles before dropping the batter.
Chicken pieces are tough, dry, or stringy.
Cause: The chicken was subjected to a rapid boil rather than a gentle poach, causing the protein fibers to seize.
Fix: Shred the overcooked pieces directly in the bowl so they can absorb more of the flavorful broth.
Prevention: Keep the heat low enough to maintain a very gentle simmer when cooking the chicken.
Cultural Context
Chicken and dumplings represents an iconic pillar of American comfort food, traditionally relying on heavy, biscuit-like doughs to provide warmth during harsh winters. This modern variation lightens the profile significantly by drawing inspiration from Italian gnudi, incorporating bright spring produce and utilizing ricotta to create a cloud-like texture that complements the delicate herbaceous broth.
