Chicken and Dumplings - Winter Comfort Food

Dumplings are a family favorite in our house. The chicken is added for flavor. I usually double the dumpling recipe and reserve the cooked chicken for chicken salad; but any way you eat this dish it makes for a memorable meal.

Ingredients

2 ½ - 3 pound chicken

Water to cover (about 2 quarts)

2 stalks celery, cut in thirds

1 small onion, quartered

¼ cup flour (to thicken the gravy after the chicken has cooked)

Place all ingredients, except the flour, in a large stock pot and cover. Bring to a boil and then turn heat back until you have a slow gentle boil. Continue cooking for approximately one hour, or until tender. Remove chicken, onion and celery from water. Discard onion and celery. Remove skin and debone the chicken, once it has cooled slightly. Break up into bite size pieces. Set aside.

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cups flour (all purpose)

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp pepper (optional)

3 Tbs. shortening

¾ cup buttermilk

While the chicken is cooling, mix together all dry ingredients for the dumplings. Cut in shortening until well incorporated. Add buttermilk. (If you don’t have buttermilk, use sweet milk with a generous squirt of lemon juice added. Let sit for a few minutes so the juice can sour the milk)

Mix thoroughly, then turn onto a floured surface and knead four to five times. Roll out and cut into squares.

Once the dumplings are ready, take the ¼ cup flour and mix with enough water or chicken broth (or bouillon) to form a thin paste. Do not use the hot broth from when you cooked the chicken. The liquid added to the flour must be cool, so that it doesn’t gum up as the flour is thinned.

Slowly pour the flour paste into the stock pot; whisking continually until it is well mixed. Raise the heat on the burner. Once the water begins to boil again; slowly add the dumplings, one at a time, until all are floating. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or to desired consistency.

Add reserved chicken. The broth will thicken as the mixture cools.

Servings: 4