Smoked Chicken & Dumpling Stew

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat your Traeger Grill to 375 degrees F.

2. 2

   Coat the chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons thyme, lemon zest, and a good pinch of salt and pepper, then place on the grill and roast until cooked through to an internal temp of 165 degrees F (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours).

3. 3

   Rest, then carve and chop into bite sized pieces.

4. 4

   Trim the end of a garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt, wrap in foil, and roast alongside the chicken until creamy (about 40 minutes).

5. 5

   Heat a deep pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the bacon and cook until crispy.

6. 6

   Remove the bacon, then add onion, celery, carrot, rosemary, remaining thyme, a pinch of salt, and sweat down.

7. 7

   Add the roasted garlic, stir, and deglaze with whiskey and cook until the liquid is almost entirely evaporated.

8. 8

   Add stock, potatoes, another pinch of salt, and cook until the spuds are almost fork tender.

9. 9

   In a bowl, combine all of the dumpling ingredients and mix and shape into golf-ball sized dumplings.

10. 10

    Stir the chicken into the stew, add butter, cream, the bacon, then top with the dumplings.

11. 11

    Cover and cook until the dumplings are risen and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

12. 12

    Top with fresh chives, an extra crack of black pepper, and serve.