Turkey and Dumplings

My mother never made us chicken n' dumplings growing up, but I'm versed enough in the American cooking vernacular to know that there are two great schisms in the chicken n' dumplings universe. We can all agree the meat should be tender, the dish should be overwhelmingly comforting, and one serving is never enough. What we have a bit more trouble with is the broth and the dumplings.

Some insist the broth ought to be clear, nearly soup-like in body, while others like theirs creamy, opaque, and rich. In extreme cases, folks even insist the liquid portion should be as thick as gravy, pooling into a slow puddle that creeps across a plate rather than splashes in a bowl.

The dumplings are an equally great divide. Thick, noodle-y dumplings, or biscuit-like balls?

Well, at the risk (OK, near certainty) of angering half of the readers here, I offer the version that I've been making for the last few years and will be raising my own children to believe is the One True Chicken N' Dumplings recipe—a recipe that's flexible enough to use leftover turkey.

Mine has drop dumplings made with a biscuit-like dough, albeit a little leaner than my normal biscuit dough, with an egg to help them puff as they simmer. They come out soft and tender on the outside, with a slick surface that reminds me a bit the top layer of dough in a New York pizza, right where it meets the sauce. The centers of the biscuits are light, fluffy, and tender.

I make my broth rich and creamy, but not so rich and creamy that you can't eat a bowl of it with a spoon without wanting to fall asleep immediately afterwards.

Whether you make it with leftover turkey or roast chicken (as I heartily suggest you do), save some gravy and add it to the broth before you add the dumplings for some extra richness.

These are my dumplings, and I'm sticking to them. My children are free to explore other options once they are self-supportive and no longer living under my roof.