The Ultimate Chicken And Dumplings Food

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the stock:
• Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
• When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.
• For the dumplings:
• Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.
• To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
• Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
• Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken under cold water, inside and out. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season the body and cavity of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, mash together the butter, lemon juice, and chopped herbs. Rub the herbed butter all over the chicken, as well as under the skin. Put the lemon halves, onion, garlic, and whole herbs inside the chicken cavity, for added flavor. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Roast for 1 hour until the meat is no longer pink. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat, discarding the skin and set aside. Reserve the bones for chicken stock.
• For the stock: Coat a large stockpot with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute for 3 minutes. Add the reserved chicken bones, water, and herbs; simmer for 1 hour. Strain the stock to remove the solids and set aside.
• For the dumplings: sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk together; pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together, the batter should be thick and cake-like.
• For the sauce: In a Dutch oven, melt butter and heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
• Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
• Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (ROLLED DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Add chicken, water, and salt to a 6 quart Dutch oven or stock pot , bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-high and cook until chicken is well done. (about 40 minutes).
• Remove chicken from pot, and let cool a few minutes. Remove skin and any excess fat and discard. Remove bones from breasts and chop meat into bite size pieces. Return chicken back to pot. Add pepper and more water if needed. Return to a boil.
• While chicken is cooking, make dumplings.
• Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and 1/4 cup evaporated milk and mix dumpling ingredients just enough to form a stiff dough. Add more flour if necessary.
• If using more than 3 eggs you will need to increase the flour and salt accordingly. Otherwise dough will be too wet to work with.
• Pour out onto a floured surface. Knead dough 1 or 2 times, being careful not to overwork the dough. The dough becomes tough very quickly, so handle as little as possible. Dust dough and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.
• Cut into strips about 3/4 inch by 3 inches with a floured knife. Let rest until ready to add to boiling chicken. Add dumplings to boiling broth a few pieces at a time, so that dumplings don't stick to each other. Add remaining evaporated milk to pot.
• Cook 15 minutes. If broth is too runny, dissolve 3 Tbsp flour into 1/4 cup hot water until there are no lumps. Add to dumplings and cook another 5 minutes. Serve.

THE ULTIMATE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large pot, add the chicken, 1 quart of water, onion, celery, garlic and peppercorns. Stew the chicken until completely cooked. Remove chicken from the broth and cool. Remove skin and bones. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks or shred. Remove 1 - 2 cups broth to use in dumplings; allow to cool.
• To the remaining broth, add the rest of the water, salt, pepper, bouillon cubes and shredded/cubed chicken and heat to simmering.
• To make dumplings: Mix together dry ingredients. Mix egg with one cup of broth and add slowly to the dry ingredients. Use as much broth as needed to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on floured board, roll very thin. Cut into 1-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Drop in simmering broth; cover and cook 20 minutes. Enjoy.
• If freezing, I will freeze the dumplings, still uncooked, separately from the soup. When time to reheat it, just bring dumplings back to room temperature, reheat the soup to boiling and drop in the dumplings. Very tasty!