Chicken & Dumplings

1 large chicken-stewed  

I have used chicken breasts with skin on but you get a lot more flavor for the broth from stewing a whole chicken.

Cook chicken until tender in boiling water with salt & pepper added to taste.

Skin & bone chicken & tear meat into chunks (you choose what size you like).

Dumplings 

(I usually do another half recipe so there are plenty of dumplings) I cook for large numbers when doing this though  ;-) )

2 c. flour                                                    

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp. salt   

¼ c. Crisco or lard (I know, I know)*        

1 egg beaten                                                

½ c. plus 1 Tbsp. milk

Cut Crisco into flour, salt & baking powder. Blend egg with milk & stir into dry mixture. Turn dough out on well-floured board. (I use a clean counter top)  Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness & cut in strips. (I learned to use a pizza cutter) I like dumplings about ½” wide & 2” or so long.

Drop dumplings into boiling broth & cook until tender.  (sorry, no time frame here because I haven’t made them in so long, seems like it’s about 12 minutes or more). When dumplings are tender add the chicken chunks, stir & heat through.

Thicken the broth with a cornstarch & water slurry. I apologize again. I don’t have amounts here. I make it up every time.  If I have made a larger quantity of dumplings I make more broth so it requires more thickening.  I’m just guessing but it seems like it’s about 1/3 – ½ cup cornstarch then add cool water to make a slurry then STIR the broth as you add the cornstarch or at least stir it quickly after you add it otherwise it can clump pretty badly in your broth.

That’s it. So basic & simple & lip smacking good but I cook by ear when I make it.

Have FUN!!

*You can try butter instead of shortening or lard. A good quality, organic, grass fed lard will work better than butter. It just makes a different consistency to the dumpling. I don’t make this often enough to fret about using Crisco once a year or less J  I don’t eat all the dumplings either so I’m not getting much if I eat it on this rare occasion.