Chicken and Slippery Dumplings

  • 1 broiler or fryer (3 to 4 pound)
  • 1 large onion, halved
  • 1 large carrot, halved
  • 1 stalk celery with leaves, halved
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken from broth; cool.  Strain broth.
Bone chicken, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Return chicken to broth; set aside.  [Note: I usually wait until after the dumpling are cooked before returning chicken to broth; this way, the chicken is not overcooked.]

Combine 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mix­ture resembles coarse meal. Stir in hot water with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/16-inch thickness; cut into 1­x 3-inch strips. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Drop dumpling strips into broth. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until dumplings are plump and tender. Transfer chicken and dumplings to a serving platter. Blend 1/3-cup flour with a small amount of water,
mixing to form a smooth paste; add to broth, stirring until smooth.

Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
Pour over chicken and dumplings.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

From The Southern Heritage Plain and Fancy Poultry Cookbook, 1983, p.19  

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