Homemade Chicken and Dumplings–Printable Version

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Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

-1.5 lbs. chicken thigh quarters or other cheap cut

-1 yellow onion

-3 or 4 celery ribs

-Salt/pepper to taste

-Water

-3 cups flour (all-purpose or cake flour)

-2 tablespoons baking powder

-2 or 3 eggs

-Additional flour

Directions:

Chicken and Stock:

Begin by placing chicken in the bottom of a large stock pot. Sprinkle meat liberally with salt and pepper. Dice one large yellow onion and several stalks of celery; toss vegetables over the chicken.

Cover ingredients with water until stock pot is at least 3/4 full. Some water will boil away during cook time, so you may or may not need to add more water before cooking the actual dumplings. Bring stock pot to a simmer and heat at least 1 hour, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Dumplings:

 

If your stove is across the room, you may want to do like I do and prepare the dumpling dough on a large, unsided cookie sheet you can transport to the simmering pot without a lot running back and forth.

To begin dumpling dough, spoon out a cup or two of the simmering broth to cool for a minute. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and 1 to 2 teaspoons salt. Stir well.

Into a small bowl or measuring cup, beat 2 to 3 eggs. Add the cooled broth to the bowl and whisk. Pour the egg mixture gradually into the flour mixture, stirring between additions. You may or may not have to use all of it. Once all of the flour mixture has been absorbed into a sticky dough, you’re ready to go.

Flour your surface (countertop or jumbo cookie sheet) and transfer dough. Cover the dough with a heavy layer of flour and use fingertips or rolling pin to flatten dough to desired thickness.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, begin slicing flattened dough into 1″ wide strips, and then cross-cut strips into desired length (3 inches is about the maximum length you want since the dough will stretch when you drop it into the simmering broth).

Note that you do not want the broth to be at a full boil, as you will both run the risk of spattering yourself and also having “hard” dumplings.

Once all of the dumplings have been added to the pot, cover with lid and reduce heat to MEDIUM LOW. Allow dumplings to simmer approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a “test dumpling” comes out chewy and without any dough or flour in the center when bitten into.

When all dumplings are cooked, dish chicken and dumplings into individual bowls with slotted spoon. Top with chopped parsley or additional salt/pepper if desired. Serve immediately.