Chicken & Dumplings: how do u make yours?

[lovebuzz]

Ok a southern gal here.

To make your dumplings just mix flour and evaporated milk. I then roll it out and then tear off strips and drop into the boiling chicken broth.

First I put my chicken, water and seasoning in a pot and cook it. I then remove the chicken and make the dumplings. as the water is at a slow boil I drop my dumplings in. I then let it cook for about 20 minutes. Then I lower my tempature down to medium low and add my chicken, cream of chicken soup, and another can of evaporated milk. Then I let it cook for another hour. Salt and Pepper.

 

[kristilew]

Mine is a two day process. I stew the (whole) chicken the day before, then strain the broth and refridgerate overnight to let the fat rise and solidify. Easier to skim off that way.

I make the dumplings from scratch with self-rising flour, shortening, a little bacon grease, and milk. I roll them out and cut them into strips with a pizza cutter, and put them in the fridge for a couple of hours too.

All this pre-prep makes it a breeze to heat up the broth, put in the cut up chicken pieces, and add the dumplings. I throw in some bullion granules for good measure, and make sure plenty of extra flour gets in the broth when I stir the strips in, and end up with a very creamy mix.

Any way you make it, this is my favorite comfort food!

 

[ms1031]

I've made them with this recipe many times. Good stuff!

Cracker Barrel Chicken And Dumplings Recipe
Chicken and Broth

3 quarts water
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
4-6 whole parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third.

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end.

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.