Cracker Barrel Chicken And Noodles Food

BETTER THAN CRACKER BARREL® CHICKEN 'N DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place chicken and 1 pinch salt in a large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum off the surface with a slotted spoon. Add lemon, celery, onion, and carrots. Simmer broth over medium heat until chicken starts to fall off the bone, about 1 hour.
• Discard lemon. Remove chicken from the pot; let cool.
• Place flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Ladle in 2 to 3 scoops of hot broth. Mix in flour with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead carefully until smooth. Roll out into a large rectangle; cut into small rectangular dumplings.
• Drop dumplings one at a time into the simmering broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Bone chicken and chop into pieces. Add to the pot; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

CHICKEN 'N' DUMPLINGS -- CRACKER BARREL STYLE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
• Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and parsley to the pot.
• Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours.
• The liquid will reduce by about one third.
• When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside.
• Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum.
• You want only the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.
• Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe - it can be frozen).
• Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tablespoon of lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the Dumplings.
• For the Dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and milk in a medium bowl.
• Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5 to 20 minutes.
• Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into 1/2-inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock.
• Use all of the dough.
• The Dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy.
• Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until thick. Stir often.
• While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle.
• Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
• Cut the chicken neatly into bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot.
• Discard the skin and bones.
• Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5 to 10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart.
• You want big chunks of chicken in the end.
• When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.
• Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.