THE BEST RECIPES HAVE A STORY
Join us as we revive the hand-me-down recipes of the world’s most unforgettable humans. We’ve stirred Johnny Cash’s chilli and tucked into Bowie’s shepherd’s pie. Today we go south to the Smoky Mountains for Dolly Parton’s legendary Dixie Chicken.
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Recipe Vault Rating: 9.7/10
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6–8
Pans Required: Old Dutch
Welcome back to Heirloom Recipes. The Ironclad series that explores the family recipes of history’s most fascinating folks. Simple hand-me-down dishes that reveal the ordinary people living those extraordinary lives.
We’ve flipped Rosa Parks’ Pancakes, slurped Al Capone’s Spaghetti, and served a dish that was neither rock nor roll, David Bowie’s Shepherd’s Pie.
Today, we gather in the Smoky Mountains, where a single chicken and a pot of dumplings fed a family of fourteen. And shaped the lifelong flavours of home for the one and only, Dolly Parton.
This is Ironclad’s take on Dolly’s Dixie Chicken Dumplings.
Now, every cook adds their own twist. That’s the lineage of family recipes. Dolly’s recipe was her mother’s, untouched. Dolly’s sister Rachel softened onion, celery, and carrot before dropping in the dumplings. Our chef Felicity has added an Ironclad twist. Seared chicken thighs, simmered with leek, swede, and red pepper, with dumplings baked golden on top. Something easier to do when you don’t have twelve children asking when dinner is ready.
From a cabin stove in the Smoky Mountains to your kitchen table. This Heirloom Recipe has now been handed to you.
Feed everyone. And keep some leftovers for tomorrow.
This recipe keeps like milk from a refrigerated cow.
By that I mean it keeps well.
I’ve never been able to do those.
1 kg skinless chicken thighs
4 tbsp white flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
6 bay leaves
1 large white onion, finely sliced
1 leek, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 swede, thinly sliced
1 large stalk fresh rosemary, chopped finely
A bunch of chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
3 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 tbsp mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups boiling water
Fresh parsley, to garnish
2 cups white flour
4 heaped tsp baking powder
1⅓ cups plain yoghurt
½ tsp salt
Divide the olive oil between the lid and the pot of your Ironclad Old Dutch and heat both to almost smoking.
Dredge the chicken thighs in flour and salt. When the oil is hot, fry the chicken quickly in both pot and lid until golden and crispy on both sides. Set the chicken aside.
Return the pot to the heat and sauté all the vegetables and herbs over high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the mustard powder, chicken stock powder, and boiling water. Bring to the boil.
Roughly pull the cooled chicken apart into chunks and stir into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes as you make the dumplings.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
To make the dumplings, mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then lightly stir in the yoghurt.
Ladle a scoop of broth into a Lil’ Legacy Pan. You’ll cook some of the dumplings here.
With floured fingers, form the dough into 18 balls. Drop 12 dumplings onto the simmering stew, spooning a little broth over the tops. Nestle the remaining 6 dumplings into the Lil’ Legacy on top of the broth.
Place both pans into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve hot and bubbling to the table.
Sadly, this one doesn't have one yet. I'm working on it though. A Dolly-coloured playlist to simmer beside your Dixie Chicken. Songs she sang, songs she loved, and songs that carry the warmth of home. Press play, stir gently, and let a little Tennessee into your kitchen.
