Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe is meant to complement the blog "Chicken and Dumplings” which was posted May 20, 2015. You can find the post in the May, 2015 archives.

• 1 whole chicken
  
• 3 cups flour
  
• salt
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  

Place chicken in a 5 qt pot and cover with water.  Add a couple teaspoons of salt.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked, 35-45 minutes depending upon the size of the chicken.

Cool chicken, then remove from bones and set the meat aside.

Mix flour and 1 tsp salt.  Add eggs and ¾-1 cup of broth.  Skim the broth from the top of the pot.  This will remove fat from the broth and add it to the dumpling batter to serve as shortening.  

The dough will be loose and sticky.  Flour a board or countertop heavily and pour the dough out on it.  Gradually bring the dough together, kneading gently, until you can press it out flat and it does not stick.  (This may take quite a bit of added flour.)  The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut with a knife or pizza wheel into ½ inch wide strips, then each strip into a 2-3 inch long rectangles.

Bring the broth to a boil, then lower to a simmer and add the dumplings one at a time at a rate that keeps the broth simmering.  You may have to adjust the heat.  Five minutes after the last strip is added, stir in the chicken and heat through.

This was definitely a dish for the poor.  Nothing else was added to flavor the broth, like onions, carrots, or celery.  You can do as you please.  

To reheat the next day, do so over gentle heat.  The dumplings continue to swell that first night and it looks like there is no broth left, but low heat and patience will show you otherwise.

Dene Ward