Recipe: Chicken with Drop Dumplings or Rolled Dumplings

Chicken with Drop Dumplings or Rolled Dumplings
rec.food.cooking/Jill McQuown (2001)
Serves 6-8

This is one of the simplest, and most tasty, dishes I've ever eaten. Good this time of year, if the weather is starting to cool down. I prefer drop dumplings to rolled ones. But I'll include a recipe for rolled dough dumplings, just in case.

2 to 3 lb. stewing chicken, cut up
1 cup sliced carrots
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Cover the chicken with water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until meat separates easily from the bones. Remove chicken from the broth. Strain the broth. Debone the chicken and tear meat into small pieces. Skim fat from broth. Return chicken meat to the broth (you can add back the veggies if desired; I puree them first). Bring back to boiling.

Meanwhile, prepare the drop dumplings:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp. shortening
3/4 tsp. salt

Mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles crumbs. Blend in milk and parsley until you have a moist batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls into bubbling soups and stews. Cook covered 10 minutes; remove cover and cook 10 minutes more.

The dumplings will thicken the chicken soup mixture.

Rolled Dumplings:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup cold water
1 beaten egg
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend flour with salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add beaten egg and cold water and work the dough until smooth. Roll out on a floured board to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch squares. Drop into simmering broth and cook about 10 minutes.