Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

Old Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings Recipe from scratch. Homemade broth with a little sage added for that southern style taste.

I grew up with this classic dish. Every Sunday was "chicken day" in our home. We most always had company for dinner, our mid-day meal.

Mama spent Saturdays preparing for this weekly social event. That usually entailed catching the chicken, baking the cakes and pies and preparing other dishes that didn't need refrigeration.

We raised chickens, cows, and hogs.

Often, my twin sister and I rounded up the chicken that mama cooked.

I hated it!

But, I loved the next day when the eating and excitement began.

Preachers weren't paid back then, so they were invited to a church member's home for dinner after the Sunday service. One never knew whose home he would choose to visit. Luckily, he loved chicken.

Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

4 lbs. chicken*

4 quarts water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

Cut up chicken. Wash in basin or under running water until water runs clear. Put chicken, water, salt and rubbed sage into a large soup cooking pot or a Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover with a tight fitting lid.

Simmer 2 hours or until chicken is done. It will be tender when stuck with a fork and will begin turning loose from the bone.

Remove from heat and cool. Place chicken parts in a bowl. Remove and discard bones, skins, and gristle. Strain and measure broth (water chicken was cooked in). If you don't have enough, add extra water.

Dumplings

3 quarts, plus 1 1/2 cups broth

3 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

Return 3 quarts broth to large pan. Add butter. Sprinkle sage on top. Bring to a hard rolling boil.

While broth is coming to a boil, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a small mixing bowl. Slowly, add the broth and gently mix with a spoon or your hands until all flour is moistened and it forms a ball.

Place dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth. (I use a clean kitchen towel) on top of a flat surface. Roll with a floured rolling pin or pat with your fingers after dipping them in flour and make a rectangular shape 1/4 inch thick.

Turn dough over and rub a little flour on top to prevent stickiness in handling dumplings. The flour also serves to thicken the broth into a white gravy.

Cut 1/2 inch strips of dough lengthwise. Then cut 3/4 inch strips crosswise. If knife sticks to dough, dip in flour after each cut. You now have dumplings approximately 1/2" x 3/4" by 1/4" thick. Use up all the dough pieces.

Drop dumplings into boiling broth, one at a time to prevent sticking or clumping together. When all have been added, stir and reduce heat. Cover with lid. Cook 45-50 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes to prevent sticking to bottom of pot.

When dumplings are done, add prepared chicken back into pot. Gently fold in and heat another 10-15 minutes just until chicken is thoroughly heated.

*For this Chicken And Dumplings Recipe you can use a whole chicken or ready cup up chicken. Legs, thighs, and breasts are especially good for this dish because they have more edible meat per pound and enough fat for a delicious taste.

Tip: Handle dumplings as little as possible while making, so they will use up less flour, be more tender and thoroughly cooked.

Interesting: Many old-timers call Chicken And Dumplings recipes "Chicken And Pastry".

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