Chicken & Dumplings were a staple of my Grandma Lewis' menu for a Sunday "after church" dinner. Although I was a little too young to remember most of the dishes that she cooked, a big pot of chicken and dumplings was one dish she made that I remember most.
We're talking big hunks of juicy chicken (mostly dark meat) and not too thick, not too big, fluffy, light as air dumplings in a rich and creamy broth.
I really think Chicken and Dumplings fall into the Top 10 Southern Recipes one should master! More about that in a later blog!
The dish turned out great even though I screwed up and used all purpose flour and not self rising. It's not that hard to do, but it does take a little time to make. However, the result is WELL worth the time!
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Recipe adapted from Best Kept Secrets of the South's Best Cooks by Southern Living Magazine
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
1 (2 1/2 lb) Whole Chicken
2 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 leaves of fresh sage
3 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup shortening
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 cup cold chicken broth
Cover chicken with water, and bring to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the next 7 ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. Remove chicken and let cool. Set aside 1 cup of broth for the dumplings, reserving remaining broth in Dutch oven. Skim the fat and remove the herbs from the broth. Add remaining salt and pepper to the broth and bring it back to a simmer. Skin, bone and pull chicken apart into small bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
1 (2 1/2 lb) Whole Chicken
2 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 leaves of fresh sage
3 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup shortening
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 cup cold chicken broth
Cover chicken with water, and bring to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the next 7 ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. Remove chicken and let cool. Set aside 1 cup of broth for the dumplings, reserving remaining broth in Dutch oven. Skim the fat and remove the herbs from the broth. Add remaining salt and pepper to the broth and bring it back to a simmer. Skin, bone and pull chicken apart into small bite-sized pieces and set aside.
In a bowl, cut the shortening and bacon fat into the flour using a fork or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly and resembles a course meal. Add the cold chicken broth (milk can be substituted - but the fresh chicken broth brings out the fresh chicken flavor), stirring until dry ingredients are just moistened. (PLEASE... resist the urge to keep working the dough. The more you handle the dough, the tougher the dumplings will be!!) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured sheet pan.
Bring broth mixture to a rolling boil. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into broth, stirring gently.
After adding all the dumplings, return the chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes.
"The smaller the hen, the better!" That's what Grandma always said!
Careful to not over work your dough!
Use a pizza cutter to cut your dumplings!
Drop the dumplings, one at a time, into the boiling broth.
"Come and get it!!"
