Slow Simmer Chicken and Dumplins |
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Prep Time: 35 Minutes Cook Time: 180 Minutes |
Ready In: 215 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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It's the Cracker Barrel recipe. It's rather long but worth it. I was raised eating chicken and dumplins but was never able to re-create it like my daddy's. This recipe is right on target. Ingredients:
2 quarts water |
32 ounces chicken broth |
1 (3 -4 lb) broiler-fryer chickens, cut up into about 6 pieces |
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided |
1 onion, sliced |
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks |
2 carrots, cut up into chunks |
1 garlic clove, peeled & quartered |
1 large bay leaf |
4 -6 whole fresh parsley leaves |
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (more if you like) |
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 of a fresh lemon) |
2 cups all-purpose flour |
1 tablespoon baking powder |
1 1/4 teaspoons salt |
1 cup milk |
2 tablespoons milk |
Directions:
1. In a large pot, bring chicken broth liquid to a boil. Add chicken, plus 1 tsp of salt & onion, celery, bay leaf & parsley into the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer & cook the chicken uncovered for 2 hours. The chicken liquid will reduce by about 1/3rd. (I used my crock pot and it worked very well).
2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot & set aside to cool. Strain the stock to remove the veggies & floating scum, what you have left is the stock & chicken. I saved the celery and carrots and put them back into the broth. Discard all else.
3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock in a smaller pot (save the balance for another use & it can be frozen). Add pepper, the remaining salt, & the lemon juice. Reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplins.
4. Combine flour and ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well till smooth, then let dough rest for about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately 1/2 inch thick. Dough is very wet and sticky. Add extra flour as needed to roll it out.
5. Cut dough into 1/2 inch squares & drop each into the simmering chicken stock. As the pot gets crowded, move dumplins out of the way with a wooden spoon as you carefully drop the rest of the dumplins into the simmering broth. Use all the squares. The dumplins will swell at first & then slowly shrink in size as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock to a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes till thick. STIR OFTEN.
6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones & remove the skin. Cut the meat into bite size pieces & drop it into the pot. Discard the skin & bones. Continue to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, do not stir vigorously or the chicken will shred & fall apart. We want to strive for big Chunks at the completion of our recipe.
7. When the thickened soup has reached the desired consistency, serve hot.
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