Chicken and Dumplings

Do you consider Chicken and Dumplings a soup?  A main course?  An oddity that you've never tried?  I consider a bowl of chicken and dumplings to be one of the main foods of the gods.

 Dumplings can either be "dropped" or "rolled."  I've always been a dropped dumpling kind of girl, but decided at this stage of my life it was time to overcome my fear of rolling out dough, cutting nice little squares and dropping them into simmering chicken stock.  Sounds easy right?  Then why haven't I made myself attempt this project before now? 

Dumplings can be made from a flour/shortening/milk dough, cut up refrigerated biscuits or even tortillas.  But as a good Southern girl, it was (way past) time for me to Just Do It.

First you cook 2 or 3 bone in chicken breasts in enough water to cover them with a little salt and pepper and about 2 T. of butter.  I added a little dried thyme to the broth, because in Lolly World, chicken and thyme are wonderful partners.

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the broth and set aside on a plate to cool enough that you can shred the meat. 

Carefully strain the chicken broth into a wide pot and bring up to a slow simmer over medium low heat.  You'll need about 8 - 10 cups of broth.  Add a little water if needed.

Now to make the dumplings!

2 cups self-rising flour

1 t. poultry seasoning

1/4 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine the flour and poultry seasoning.

Add the shortening and with a pastry blender mix in with the flour until you have little pea sized crumbles.

Make a well and slowly add most of the milk and gently stir with a fork until blended into a wet dough.  Add the remaining ounce or so of milk and stir.  It's going to be a wet dough, so don't panic. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a minute or two until no longer sticky.

Then roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8" inch. 

Carefully cut the dough into small squares and gently add them to the simmering broth.

Once you add the dumplings to the broth, DO NOT STIR them.  The fragile dough will disintegrate.  Let the broth cook the dumplings as you add the remaining squares.  Very carefully jiggle the pot occasionally to bring the hot broth over the top of the dumplings. 

Let them cook for 8 - 10 minutes or so and then carefully add the shredded chicken.  NOW you can gently stir the dumplings to incorporate the chicken into the heavenly pot of dumplings.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  If you wish, you can use white pepper.  I always use black pepper because I love to see the little specks of peppery goodness against the white of the dumplings.

I'll never make drop dumplings again.  And, drum roll please.....I have overcome my fear of making rolled dumplings.  I am quite proud of myself!