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May 1, 2007
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and Dumplings is one of those quintessential dishes that exemplifies the idea of Southern cooking and every family that likes them has their own twist on this classic. Some like to add onions, others add potatoes, but in my mind Chicken and Dumplings should be more straight forward and ultimately more simple.
I grew up in Tennessee and in my family my mom and I were the ones that loved Chicken and Dumplings (and still do!) My father isn't much of a chicken person and I'm not sure what my sister's opinion of the dish is, but it wasn't strong either way or I think I would remember. (Sisterpooh if you're reading you can add your two sense worth in the comments! ;o)) This simple dish is my take on the Southern Classic. It's simple, quick and delicious!
What You'll Need:
2 large chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
Water (Enough to cover the chicken...Usually about 4-6 cups)
A pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of buttermilk (Note: Depending on humidity you may need a little more or a little less. You want a very, very sticky dough.)
3 tablespoons of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup of dairy (Your choice heavy cream, light cream, half and half, milk)
In a large pot over medium heat place both chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of sea salt and some black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cooked covered until chicken is done. (Usually 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
While the chicken is cooking mix 2 cups of flour, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder and buttermilk until a very sticky dough forms. Set aside.
When the chicken breasts are cooked remove from pot and put the cover back on to the pot. Take the skin off of the chicken breasts and discard. Remove the meat from the bone. Chop or tear meat into bite sized pieces with caution as the meat is still very hot. Add chicken back to the pot.
Mix your dairy and 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth with no lumps and pour into the pot with the chicken and stir to mix. Drop spoonfuls of dough into the pot until dough is gone to make dumplings. Put the lid back on the pot and cook for 20-30 minutes until mixture has thickened. Serve warm.
Notes: As I mentioned in the intro you can add onions if you like, or potatoes or I've even seen mushrooms added to the mix! You can also top it with chopped parsley if you want, which I do sometimes, but ultimately I think the simpler the better is best for this dish. Also if you have some left over chicken you can use that instead and substitute chicken broth for the water, heat it to simmering and then skip on to the dairy step.
Posted by Dianne at May 1, 2007 9:25 AM
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