Old Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings Recipe from scratch.
Homemade broth with a little sage added for southern style taste.
I grew up with this classic dish.
Sunday was Chicken Day in our home, because we often had company for
dinner, our mid-day meal.
Mama spent Saturdays preparing for Sunday.
That meant catching the chicken and baking cakes and pies that didn't need refrigerated.
My twin sister and I rounded up the chicken that mama cooked, from what we called the chicken pin.
What we called a chicken pen back in those days was just a fenced in area so the chickens wouldn't wander out in the highway.
I hated catching those birds!
But, I loved the Sunday chicken dinners.
Preachers weren't paid back then.
So they were invited to a church member's
home for dinner after Sunday's service.
One never knew whose home he
would visit, so we were always prepared with a chicken dinner after church.
Luckily, he loved chicken.
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 pieces in a bowl.
Remove and discard
bones, skins, and gristle.
Strain and measure broth that the chicken was
cooked in.
If you don't have enough, add extra water.
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 only enough of the broth, mixing gently with a
spoon or your hands, until the 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 the dough 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 the meat 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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