back it up and dump it

“HEY LADDDDDDYYYYYYYY”, blared from the speakers of my brother’s old white bronco as I would step out of the car for my 9th grade classes. No song from fall ‘08 was cemented in my head more than Kinfolk Thug’s “Dumptruck”. It was the perfect combination of southern R&B and Rap. A provocative chorus sprinkled with some suggestable gangster lyrics of accommodating a lady before perpetual sexual relations was food to my ears before 9 a.m.; yes, this song was played at deafening levels before the stock market opened, and I wanted it no other way. Presentation always mattered in that vital pubescent period of life. A song able to get the guys hyped and keep ladies dancing was rare back then—you had one or the other. “Dumptruck” was able to captivate all ages while still being an apparent underground hit.

“BACK IT UP AND DUMP IT”, screamed into my impressionable ears as everyone would head nod outside my brother’s vehicle as he took our favorite shortcut to campus. A great escape Kinfolk Thug’s song would give me as the breeze from the rolled down windows would clear my head of any angst or anxiety. Nothing in the world could stop me as I continually sung the infectious chorus through the hallways to my first class of the day.

“KNOW THAT YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY WITH THAT DUMP TRUCK”, rings in my head from time to time as my car glides down I-495 in northern Virginia. “Dumptruck” relieved anyone lucky enough to consume it. Food should be a relief always. Soup has been the great reliever for centuries and millennia. Everyone didn’t have the gift of radio or streaming services or YouTube plus an aux cord; on the other hand, they had water, chicken, flour and some very fresh vegetables. That’s all it takes for this soup: a legendary one. Although, chicken and dumplings might be more revered, nothing will compare to that song playing in my brother’s car minutes before the school day.

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Chicken + Dumplings

ingredients:

dumplings:

• 2c cake flour OR all-purpose flour

• 2t baking powder

• 1/2t baking soda

• 2t kosher salt

• 3t chicken bouillon powder

• 2t sugar

• 3/4c sour cream, cold

• 1/4c whole milk, cold

• 4T unsalted butter, melted

• 1/4c fresh chives, diced (save the rest for later)

chicken + roux:

• 1T extra virgin olive oil

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chick thighs, chopped* or not

• 3 celery sticks, diced

• 3 carrots, peeled + diced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 4 sprigs of fresh leaves, de-leafed

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4c italian parsley (save the rest for later), roughly chopped

• 1-2T chicken bouillon powder (need that)

• 2t italian seasoning

• 1-2t garlic powder

• 1-2t onion powder

• 1-2t dijon mustard

• 1-2t worcestershire sauce

• 1/4c white wine, CHEAP (I used Barefoot Pinot Grigio)

• 1/4c all-purpose flour

• 1c heavy cream*

• 4 1/2c chicken stock

• 5T unsalted butter

• salt & pepper to taste

Helpful items:

• large pot/dutch oven

• wooden spoon

• plastic spatula

• plate/small baking sheet

• kitchen tongs

• measuring cups

• small/medium/large bowls

• spoons/medium size ice cream scooper

• big knife*

• toothpicks

recipe (dumplings):

1. In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, chicken bouillon powder, sugar and chives. Stir.

   • Note: After much research, I’ve decided that cake flour is the best rout as cake flour allows for a fluffier dumpling. All-Purpose flour will get the job done, but the recipe/photos below used cake flour and it tasted wonderful!!!

2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add milk, sour cream and butter. Mix well.

3. Add mixture from Step 2 to the bowl from Step 1 and mix together with hands or spoon until the flour has been hydrated. Don’t over work the dough or the dumplings won’t float. Set aside and cover if you’re doing this step before the chicke/roux.

recipe (chicken + roux):

1. Add olive oil to pot or dutch oven. Set the pot or dutch oven to medium high. Add chicken and cook until skin on sides have desired brownness—don’t overcrowd pot or dutch oven. Remove chicken from pot or dutch oven and set aside on plate, bowl or small baking dish.

   • Note: I chopped my bone-in chicken with a big ass knife, but you can totally skip this step.

   • Note: The darker the chicken is crusted, the darker your soup will be by the end. I prefer for this soup to be a bit lighter, so I didn’t brown the chicken too much.

2. Add butter to pot or dutch oven and allow to mostly melt—adjust heat if butter is burning. Add celery, carrots and onions and cook/stir for 3-4 minutes or until veggies are slightly fluorescent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and de-glaze the pot or dutch oven. Scrap the brown bits from the bottom of the pot and cook until wine has mostly dissipated. Add chicken bouillon powder, italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Stir. Add flour. Stir and cook until flour has mostly been integrated (about 3-4 minutes). Add, in small increments, chicken stock to the pot and stir to ensure the roux is being properly incorporated. Then, add heavy cream, in small increments. Stir. Stir. Stir! Taste the soup and add salt/pepper/chicken bouillon powder to adjust taste. Ensure pot is simmering.

   • Note: I added 1 1/2c of heavy cream to my dish so the soup came out a bit lighter—if you prefer something darker, then I’d suggest adding less heavy cream.

recipe (final):

1. Add and submerge chicken (along with the juices!!!) to the pot. Add parsley and stir.

2. Using a spoon or medium sized ice cream scooper, shape dumplings to desired shape and gently add them to the top of the pot/soup. Make sure pot is at a rolling simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes without uncovering (or the dumplings will sink). After 15 minutes, check dumplings doneness with a toothpick. Stir pot to mix the soup a bit (that’s the flavorful fat from the chicken). Serve with chives and parsley as garnish. Enjoy!