down home chicken & dumplings
Or is it dumplin’s? I never actually say the g, so I guess it must be dumplin’s. No matter how you say it though, it’s good.
It’s been so freaking cold lately(what’s with that?), so I wanted something that would stick to our bones, and this recipe really fits the bill. I first got it from another Virginia gal, Beth, and loved it so much I have made it countless times over the past month. Jon loves it, and anytime I can make him happy foodwise, I feel like I have succeeded as a wifeypoo.
I, being the person who can’t leave anything alone, have adapted Beth’s recipe into my own, meaning, anything that required extra steps, regardless of how easy those steps were, I omitted. I’m lazy like that. But you know what? This dinner is beyond yummy, so thick and delicious, I doubt you miss those extra steps. It is certainly very adaptable – any spices you like? Just throw ‘em on in there. Here in the South, we don’t get all riled up about things like that. 
Down Home Chicken & Dumplin’s
- 2-3 lbs Uncooked Chicken (I used Bone-in Breasts)
- 2 1/2 quarts water
- 10 Tbsp. Butter
- Salt & Pepper to taste (lots of pepper)
- Oregano, to taste
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 Onion, chopped
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups Self Rising Flour
- 1/2 cup Shortening
- Baby Carrots & Peas, if desired
Cook the chicken in salted and seasoned water with the chopped onion until chicken is done. There is no harm in leaving it to simmer for as long as you want, the longer, the more tender it becomes. When you begin to make your dumplings, pull the chicken out to a cutting board so that it can cool. Go ahead and add your butter, peas & carrots now so that they can be cooking.
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the shortening using a pastry blender. it comes together very easily. Add about 1 1/2 cups of your chicken stock, straight out of the pot, and stir to combine. The dough will still seems pretty dry, but that’s okay. Dump it out on your counter and knead it a bit until it all comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out thinly, to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick (I prefer to smoosh them pretty thin – it’s just the way we like them here.) then use a knife or a pizza roller to cut the dough into strips. Any size will do, but mine are typically 1 1/2 inches across by 3-4 inches long. Add the dumplings and milk to your boiling stock, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. While they are cooking, chop up your chicken into bit sized pieces. Add it back in at any point, it’s up to you. It is best to keep a lid on the boiling dumplings so that they steam – the outcome is better. I filled my pot so full though that it caused overflow, so just be careful! When ready, spoon out and enjoy!
I make mine in a enameled cast iron pot, which I LOVE. I’ve made them in both the larger Calphalon Pot and the smaller 5.5 quart Martha Stewart Pot. Both do amazing jobs, and I can’t believe I went so long without owning one of these things! I told Jon it is now my goal to have every piece of enameled Cast Iron cookery there is I love it so much!
In case you don’t have any, and you can’t pony up and purchase the exclusive Le Creuset (me either!) here are great options…on SALE!! One is the 6 quart from Lodge, which several people say they have and LOVE. The other is a Cuisinart, 7 quart. I love this size! It’s just over $129, and if you use the coupon code by clicking the Cooking.com button, you’ll save $15. Nice! Cooking.com also has the smaller 5.5 quart Cuisinart pot for sale at $84.99…so there’s some food for thought! You may also want to check out Macys.com, as they did have a huge sale on the Martha Stewart line – think the 5.5 quart for under $45. That’s less than half price!
Oh – see my picture of cookbooks and cookery there? My loverly made that shelf for me yesterday. It is in my kitchen, in a little alcove above one of the doors. Perfection! Now I have somewhere for all those oversized pots and cookbook collection. Thanks Kit!
