Chef John's Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Place chicken in a Dutch oven. Add water carrot celery onion 3 sprigs of thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil cover reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.

Increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste adding more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. Season with salt black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk creme fraiche milk 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.

Scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnish with thyme sprigs.