Stew:

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat util shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook until skin is crisp and well-browned, 5-7 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown other side, 5-7 min longer. Transfer to plate and discard all but 1 tsp. fat from pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7-9 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, along with accumulated juices, to the pot and add chicken wings. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 min.

Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 min, then skim fat from surface using wide spoon or ladle. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard for chicken thighs(and wings, if desired) and cut into one-inch pieces. Return meat to pot.

Dumplings:

Whisk lour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in lare bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. Add buttermilk to mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.

Return stew to simmer; stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Using greased tablespoon measure (or #60 portion scoop), scoop level amount of batter and drop over top of stew, spacing about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 24 dumplings). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.

-- SamPreston - 18 Oct 2009