Chicken stew with drop dumplings

Volumes are approximate. For baking, use a scale; Metric keeps the specified gram weights.

• about 1 lb + 7 oz (640 g) raw boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 3-cm pieces
• about 5 oz (140 g) peeled onion, diced
• about 7 oz (200 g) raw carrot, trimmed and diced
• about 4 ¼ oz (120 g) raw celery, trimmed and diced
• about 2 ¾ tbsp (40 g) unsalted butter, divided: 20 g stew and 20 g dumplings
• about 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour, divided: 20 g stew and about 5 ¾ oz (160 g) dumplings
• about 1 lb + 12 oz (800 g) ready-to-serve reduced-sodium chicken broth
• about ½ cup (120 g) whole milk
• about 2 tsp (7 g) double-acting baking powder
• 8 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
• about ⅔ tsp (4 g) fine salt, divided equally between stew and dumplings

Let’s make it

1. Use a wide 4-quart heavy pot with a tight lid. Melt about 1 ⅜ tbsp (20 g) butter over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes, stirring. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes, turning; it will finish cooking in the broth.
2. Sprinkle in 20 g flour and stir for 1 minute. Slowly stir in all broth and 2 g salt, scraping the base smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partly and cook 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender and the largest chicken pieces reach 165 F / 74 C.
3. Near the end of simmering, melt the remaining about 1 ⅜ tbsp (20 g) butter and let cool briefly. Whisk about ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (160 g) flour, baking powder and remaining about ⅜ tsp (2 g) salt in a bowl. Stir in milk, melted butter and all parsley just until no dry flour remains; do not knead.
4. Bring the stew back to a steady gentle simmer. Drop the entire dough in eight roughly equal mounds across the surface, leaving gaps for expansion. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes without lifting the lid; do not let the base boil hard or scorch.
5. Open the lid away from your face. Split one dumpling to check for a fully set fluffy center with no wet flour paste; verify the dumpling center reaches 165 F / 74 C. If doughy, cover and cook another 5 minutes, then check again. Ensure chicken remains at least 165 F / 74 C.
6. Rest off heat 5 minutes. Serve two dumplings and one quarter of the chicken stew per person. Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, use within 3-4 days, and reheat to 165 F / 74 C throughout.