Cornmeal Is The Key Ingredient For Top-Notch Chicken And Dumplings

It's generally believed that chicken and dumplings is a dish that came out of the Depression era — inexpensive and filling, it would go a long way on a minuscule budget and using modest ingredients. Others have said that it was born of the Civil War, for the same reasons. The origins, however, stretch back to at least the 1600s in Europe, and similar dishes can be found all over the world. Chicken and dumplings as it's known today has appeared in American recipe books since the mid-1800s and, far from its lowly reputation, was often considered luxurious.

Whether in prosperity or poverty, many Southern households still consider chicken and dumplings a staple, and it's truly an iconic Southern dish. Even if you're not in the South, though, it's crucial to have a fool-proof recipe on hand when the occasion calls for comfort food. Luscious and hearty, a bowl of comforting chicken and dumplings can warm you up, fill you up, and lift you up when you're down. Although many recipes will call for these dumplings to be made out of flour, adding cornmeal is the secret to deeper flavor and fluffier dumplings, leaning into that luxurious history to create an even richer dish.

Of course, you want the chicken and the vegetables to be flavorful and fresh, but the star of chicken and dumplings is always the dumplings — if they fall apart, so does the dish. Unfortunately, dumplings also have a tendency to be a little tricky. Strictly flour dumplings can easily become gummy, which won't look very attractive on a plate and won't feel right in your mouth. Luckily, cornmeal adds structure and texture to the mixture, and with it, the dumplings become light and fluffy rather than tending toward gooey. It's best to use fine cornmeal to avoid an overly gritty texture, but don't go as far as corn flour, which is a fine powder and won't lend the dough the same structure. 

If light and fluffy dumplings are your goal (and really, why wouldn't they be?) and you're looking for more tips for making chicken and dumplings, then buttermilk will also come in handy. Buttermilk is naturally acidic, and the lactic acid in it will react with the baking powder and baking soda in your dough to produce a fluffier consistency. Beyond texture and structure, buttermilk and cornmeal will also give your dumplings a flavor boost — cornmeal is lightly sweet while buttermilk is rich, creamy, and a little tart.

The dumplings you'll find for this dish will also vary in type. Drop dumplings are somewhat thick and lightly formed into balls, while rolled dumplings are thin and almost noodle-like. Cornmeal and buttermilk can be used for either dumpling style.

Cornmeal, while not always present, is still a classic chicken and dumplings ingredient, but even though the dish is steeped in tradition, you don't always have to rely on the classics. So once you've perfected the light and airy dumplings, you can get experimental with your other ingredients. Apple cider added to your broth will add some fruity flavor complexity, and you can go all out with the vegetables to match what's fresh and in season.

If you prefer hot and spicy to rich and hearty, a few splashes of hot sauce or the addition of red pepper flakes might be all your chicken and dumplings is calling for. And if chicken just isn't your protein of choice but these dumplings tips are making your mouth water, there's no harm in substituting for a meat like bacon or ham (although, admittedly, you probably can't call it "chicken and dumplings" after that).