Chicken Fricot

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 3 lb/1.35 kg)
•  4 oz salt pork diced
•  3 carrots chopped
•  3 ribs celery chopped
•  1 onion chopped
•  2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and chopped
•  2 teaspoons dried savory
•  3/4 teaspoons salt
•  1/2 teaspoon pepper
•  6 cups water
•  2 ice cubes

Dumplings:

•  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•  1 tablespoon baking powder
•  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  2 egg yolks

METHOD

Discarding back, cut chicken into 6 pieces (2 breasts, 2 legs and 2 wings); set aside.

In large Dutch oven, sauté salt pork over medium-high heat until golden, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove pork; set aside.

Add chicken pieces to pan; brown all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate; set aside. Drain all but 2 tbsp fat from pan. 

Reduce heat to medium; cook carrots, celery and onion, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened but not coloured, about 3 minutes.

Stir in potatoes, savory, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Return chicken and salt pork to pan; stir in water. Bring just to boil, skimming foam from surface as needed. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Place ice cubes in glass measure. Pour in enough of the cooking liquid to make 2/3 cup; let cool. 

Meanwhile, with slotted spoon, transfer chicken to plate; let cool enough to handle. Pull meat from bones; discard bones and skin. 

Shred or coarsely chop chicken. Skim any fat from cooking liquid; return chicken to pan and bring to simmer.

Dumplings: Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, parsley and salt. Stir egg yolks into reserved cooled cooking liquid; drizzle over flour mixture. With fork, toss to make sticky, stretchy dough.

Increase heat to medium. Drop batter, evenly spaced in 8 mounds, onto stew; cover and simmer until puffed and knife inserted into centre of dumpling comes out clean, 8 to 10 minutes.