Second Helpings, Maybe Thirds. My Mother's Chicken & Dumplings!

 

Rarely, do I eat the leftovers of an entrée later in the evening after dinner. But, tonight I heated a bowl of mother's chicken and dumplings and walked out onto the porch. Before I knew it, I had devoured the bowl of tender chicken and creamy, silky thin Southern dumplings. I wanted more, but I dare not. Oh, how I enjoyed the food and the memory.

I love my mother's simple and easy recipe. The chicken is so tender and the thin Southern dumplings are so silky, like eating a cloud with a lot of flavor.

 

Mother didn't use biscuits in her recipe, so by all means just enjoy them the way they are. The photo above is a delicious pot of chicken and dumplings ready to serve.

 

These days, I make a few changes here and there when I need to get the most flavor out of a recipe. You can make the recipe as it is, or for example, if you happen to like white meat chicken as I do, then by all means use chicken breast, or cut-up chicken instead of a whole chicken. Also, most of us know that we just can't get that old fashioned flavor out of chicken anymore, so I enhance the flavor of the broth with chicken bouillon cubes (can also use Better Than Bouillon) when I need to make a richer broth. Another option is to use half chicken broth, half water. I guess I'm just doing what mother would have done to pull that good flavor out. You can use the above ideas as a suggestion. Always taste for seasoning. 

I need to thank my cousin, Sandra for sending mother's recipe. I have enjoyed it so many times since I received it.

 

Mother's Old Fashioned Alabama Chicken & Rolled Dumplings

with Biscuit Topping

 

1 (2-1/2 to 3 lb) chicken or chicken parts

2 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt*

2 chicken bouillon cubes. or Better than Bouillon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon shortening

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

flaky biscuits for topping (recipe below-optional)

 

Place chicken in a Dutch oven; add water, and 2 t. salt* (I use 2 bouillon cubes for more flavor, so add salt to taste after adding bouillon, but if your chicken has a lot of flavor you won't need the bouillon, so taste the broth to see). Bring chicken to a boil, cover and simmer until tender. Remove chicken from the broth and cool. Pull the chicken from the bone, and cut or shred into small pieces. Set aside. 

 

Make dumplings. Combine flour, soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cut in shortening. Add buttermilk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Let rest for a minute for buttermilk to be absorbed. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead several times. Roll dough out to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut long strips of dough about one-inch wide, and then cut or pull into 5-inch strips. Bring broth to a boil, and add the 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drop dumpling strips into broth, one at a time. Let cook for 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat. Reduce heat and stir in chicken pieces and hard boiled egg slices.  Serve while hot.

 

If adding biscuits to the top, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the chicken and dumplings to a baking-serving dish. Place biscuits on top, dot biscuit tops with olive oil and sprinkle with several grinds of black pepper, and bake until biscuits are done. If you don't want to make biscuits, you can use Mary B's Tea Biscuits, or any recipe you like. Keep in mind that biscuits will take up some of the broth, so leftovers will have less broth. 

 

Flaky Biscuits

 

1-3/4 cups flour

2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons shortening

 

Mix all ingredients together until crumbly and add 2/3 cup milk. Stir milk into flour mixture. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut with a small biscuit cutter. Place on top of chicken and dumplings. Rub a small amount of olive oil on top of biscuits, and sprinkle the biscuits with several grinds of black pepper. Bake until biscuits are cooked and brown.