Recipes I like to make with my kids: Truly Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Recipes I like to make with my kids: Truly Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Try this Chicken and Dumpling recipe and learn how to cook like a Southern Belle with your kids. In less than an hour, your family will think you bought this dish at the Cracker Barrel. You can’t say, “summertime in the South” without a smile on your face, and that’s why I brought some recipes back from my vacation in The Gulf Coast this past summer.  Read this recipe and the steps to take first in order to save time and maximize the flavor to this truly southern dish; Chicken and Dumplings.

Shopping List: Feeds a Family of 5

4 Chicken Breasts

3 Carrots, large cut pieces

3 Celery Stalks, large cut pieces

1 Large Yellow or White Onion, peeled and halved

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

3 Cups Self Rising Flour

1 cup milk

5 tbsp. shortening

Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:

Large Mixing Bowl, Rolling Pin, 4- Quart Boil Pot, Large Dutch Oven Pot with lid.

Cook Like A Dad Cooking Steps:

Course Chop Carrots and Celery. Peel large Onion down to base level and cut onion in half.  Next, place veggies, both halves of onion and the four Chicken breasts into the 4-Quart Pot. Fill the pot with water, (No Lid). Make sure the water line has covered the contents in the pot. Season the water with Salt and Pepper. Place pot over Med/Hi heat on the stove and bring the pot to a brisk boil. At the point of boil, lower heat on the pot to a slight simmer for another 18- 20 minutes. Remove chicken from broth, discard vegetables and pour broth through a colander lined with paper towel. You want to keep the both without the “chunks”.  Save 6-7 cups of clean broth and put back in the pot for the dumplings….

The Dumplings:

Many folks just take a simple and easy biscuit recipe to make the dumplings, but the fact is, the biscuit is not a dumpling. These “doughy” little critters are what make the recipe taste like you were eating this dish back home in Biloxi, Mississippi. There are a couple of steps that you need to take in order to have the perfect dumpling. Place flour and  3 teaspoons of salt in a bowl.  Place the shortening in the flour mixing it with your hands until the shortening separates into “pea size” bits.

Now, slowly add milk, continuing to work the mixture evenly with your hands.  A dough ball will form after needing for a few minutes. Now roll out the ball on a heavily floured surface.  Remember to flour your roller as well.  Cut the dough into strips about 1 X 2 Inch strips.

Reheat your both in the Dutch oven pot and bring the broth back to a simmer and place the dumplings in the pot quickly one dumpling at a time.  Pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes. The dumplings will absorb the chicken broth so make sure to keep them separate and mix them slowly so they don’t stick together and create one big dough ball…

Lower heat, and add chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes. While simmering, add Cream of Chicken Soup. The soup will thicken the dish and add more flavor.

You can season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm.

Cooking Tip: The recipe can be shortened by using canned broth for cooking the dumplings instead of waiting on the broth from the cooked chicken.  But beware, you will loose flavor as you gain time!  Also, butter may replace the shortening, but no Southern Granny would approve.

Serves 4-6; Total time 40 minutes.