‘Yellowstone’s Chef Gator Wrote a Cookbook Inspired by the Show – Get His ‘Favorite Recipe in the Whole Book’

The official ‘Yellowstone’ cookbook will go on sale Sept. 12 and is available for pre-order now

Now you can get a taste of Dutton Ranch right at home.

Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone is releasing a cookbook filled with recipes inspired by dishes featured on the show. PEOPLE has a first look at the cover and sat down with the show’s on-set caterer, now-cookbook author and occasional on-screen cook for the Duttons, chef Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeau.

Guilbeau admits that working on the book — Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Cookbook (out Sept. 12) —was “stressful.” “It was really new to me to literally put pen to paper,” he says.

The chef is used to being able to cook through the use of his senses rather than relying on measurements. “I don’t know. I can smell it. It smells like that’s how much to put in there,” he jokes. 

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In spite of these challenges, Guilbeau knew he’d be the only person for the job: “Our executive producer, David Glasser, reached out to me first about possibly doing this, and they asked if I would be interested at all.”

Guilbeau recalls telling Glasser, “Well, wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t?” and Glasser agreed. 

Guilbeau has been hard at work on this cookbook for the past year, but has been feeding the Yellowstone cast and crew long before then. “In my six years there, I’ve done some of my best work in my whole career as far as feeding people goes,” he tells PEOPLE. 

Throughout those years, Guilbeau has had to cook in the harsh environments of Montana, truly living like the characters of Yellowstone. “A lot of my inspiration comes from days on the ranch. Days where we were down, days where we were exhausted or cold or wet or hot, it really comes just from real life working on the Yellowstone,” he says.

Those times have resulted in recipes in the book like Rip’s Fry Bread with Scrambled Eggs and Bacon and Beth’s Cheesy Hamburger Mac Casserole. His “favorite recipe in the whole book” though is the Rancher’s Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings (below).

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The dish has a bittersweet association. “I don’t know if I’d ever actually been real homesick before, and then, I was working in Pennsylvania and I don’t know, I just felt really homesick one day. And the only thing I could think of was what my mom used to make every couple months,” he says. “She would just make this very simple chicken soup with dumplings in it.” 

Guilbeau says the recipe is “one of the big hitters” with film crews from Yellowstone and beyond. “They say the same thing I say, ‘I feel like I’m sitting in my mom’s kitchen right now eating this,’ or they say something else that they’re not supposed to tell their moms: ‘This is better than theirs.’” 

Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Cookbook will go on sale Sept. 12 and is available for pre-order now. 

Rancher’s Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings

For the stew:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus 2 Tbsp. (optional), at room temperature, divided

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 large ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

¾ lb. Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½-inch cubes

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tbsp. (optional), plus flour for dusting

Pinch of cayenne pepper 

5-6 cups chicken stock

¼ cup half-and-half (optional)

Parsley, chopped, for serving

For the biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus flour for dusting

2 Tbsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced

1 cup buttermilk 

1. Make the stew: Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil. Add half the chicken breasts and sear on one side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Cut the chicken in 1-inch pieces. (The chicken will be undercooked, but will finish cooking in the stew). Set aside. 
2. Reduce the heat under the pot to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot, along with the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper and potatoes. Season with salt. Cook, stirring until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes. 
3. Sprinkle the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of flour and the cayenne and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. While stirring constantly, gradually pour in 5 cups of the stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Add the reserved chicken and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Don’t let the stew boil or the chicken will get tough).
4. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
5. If you like your stew a bit thinner, add the remaining 1 cup stock; if you like your stew a bit thicker, in a small bowl stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour to make a slurry; then stir it into the stew and let simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
6. Cover the pot and remove from the heat while you prepare the biscuits.
7. Make the biscuits: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add ½ cup of the cold diced butter and pulse just until the butter is the size of peas. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. 
8. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and place the biscuit dough on it. Pat the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle, and then cut it into 1 ½ – 2-inch pieces; you should have 20-22 pieces. Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly golden but not cooked through about 8 minutes. Leave the oven on. 
9. While the biscuits partially cook, return the pot to medium heat and bring the stew to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half, if using. 
10. Arrange the biscuits pieces on top of the stew. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the biscuits are cooked through, 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves: 6-8