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Thomas Boemer

Chicken and dumplings
S16E12 Southern · 2018
Revival fried chicken restaurants closed January 2025; now Culinary Director for Wondrous Collective restaurant group
● @chefthomasb

Thomas Boemer built his Minneapolis reputation on Revival, a fried chicken operation that ran for years and was genuinely one of the best in a city not traditionally associated with that sentence. He is now Culinary Director for Wondrous Collective. He has cooked chicken and dumplings his entire career. Bobby Flay has cooked chicken and dumplings in the general spirit of the dish.

Boemer's dumplings were drop dumplings, not rolled — a wetter dough with a 3:1 flour-to-fat ratio that forms a pillowy exterior when it hits the simmering broth. He dropped them into a broth that had already been enriched with the braised chicken's collagen — a three-hour braise on thighs, not breasts — and covered the pot to let the steam cook the dumpling tops. Uncovering prematurely kills the rise.

Years of fried chicken mastery built a cook who understands exactly what fat and steam do to a dough. Bobby's dumplings, per judges, were dense. Covering the pot is not optional.

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Chicken and dumplings

25 min Prep
50 min Cook
4 Serves
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
  • 1 medium onion, brunoise (¼-inch dice)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup boiling water
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin
  • 1 tsp white pepper
Instructions
  1. Make the dumplings: Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Pour boiling water in slowly while stirring with chopsticks until shaggy dough forms. Knead 2 minutes until smooth. Cover with damp towel and rest 10 minutes. Roll into ½-inch thickness, cut into 1.5-inch squares, dust lightly with flour, and set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with white pepper. Working in batches to avoid crowding, sear chicken 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pot. Add onion, cook 2 minutes until softened. Add garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Deglaze with shaoxing wine, scraping up fond.
  4. Return chicken to pot. Add stock, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer for 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  5. Increase heat to medium-high and bring broth to a rolling boil. Gently drop dumpling pieces one at a time into broth, stirring occasionally. Cook 5-6 minutes until dumplings float and are tender but still hold their shape—do not overcrowd; work in batches if needed.
  6. Taste broth and adjust seasoning with soy sauce or white pepper as needed. Stir in sliced scallions. Serve immediately in bowls with equal portions of chicken, dumplings, and broth.
Inspired by Thomas Boemer’s winning chicken and dumplings. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.
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