Chicken and Dumplings – The old fashioned way!

Gladys Bryan made the best chicken and dumplings I have ever eaten.  She taught me how to cook them the old fashioned way and I try to put as much love into making chicken and dumplings as she did.  This is her recipe.  

You want to be careful that you don’t boil all of your liquid out before you get your dumplings in it. 

1 chicken, cut into pieces  (during the holidays you can get a fresh hen)
2 quarts cold water (always put your raw chicken in cold water – you’ll get a much richer broth)
1 tablespoon salt
1 whole red or white onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick butter and 1 can evaporated milk

• Add the chicken to the stew pot.

• Add salt, onion, carrot, celery, and black pepper.

• Cover with cold water and bring to a low boil. 
• Foam will form on the water as it begins to boil. 
• Skim the foam from the water.
• Stew chicken until tender with the salt, onion, carrot and celery ribs, about 40 – 60  minutes after liquid gets to a low boil.  Cooking time depends on the size of your chicken or hen.
• Remove the chicken from the broth and discard the vegetables. 
• Cool and remove chicken from the bones. 
• Cut or pull the chicken into desired-size pieces.  
• Add pepper and butter to broth and heat to simmering.  Broth should look peppery and taste great.
• Add 1 can evaporated milk to broth.

 

Dumplings

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

5-7 tablespoons cold water

 

• Work the dough and roll out on a floured surface.
• Roll out the dough very thin about ⅛”. 
• Cut into 1″ wide strips and let dry for about 30 minutes.
• Before adding your dumplings to the milk broth, add a touch of grated nutmeg to the broth.  
• Add the chicken pieces and heat.  (Broth needs to be several inches above the chicken for the dumplings to have enough room to cook.) 
• Add the dumplings to the low boiling broth a few at a time to keep the broth at a boil. 
• Cook 10 minutes in the low boiling broth.  (If you boil your broth too high, your dumplings will disappear or clump together.)
• Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes and serve.