12:35 AM 3/20/98
rfc

Chicken 'N Dumplin's

1         chicken, about three pounds or so
1         half-pint of milk or cream

1 1/2  cups flour
1/2     tsp  salt
3        Tbsp shortening (That's Crisco)
1        egg
5        Tbsp water 

First, cut the chicken in half.  Right down the middle.  Makes it
easier to cook.  In fact, I cut the halves in half.  If you want, you
can just get a couple of packages of thighs, or whatever parts you
like.  It's easier that way, but it'll cost you more.  Wash it good
all over under the faucet.  Put it into a stewing pot with enough
water (my Grandma called it "wooder") to cover the chicken about two
inches.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer until
done, about 30 minutes.  While it's cooking, every once in a while
skim the foam off of the top of the water with a spoon and sling it
into the sink, then turn the chicken in the pot..

While it's cooking, make the dumplings.  Mix flour, salt, shortening.
Crumble it in your hands until it looks like flour beebees.  Add egg
and water and mix it well.  Pat it into a big circle, dust it with
flour, and roll it out to about 1/8-inch thickness.  Let it rest 15
minutes.

By now the chicken should be done.  Take it out of the pot and let it
cool until you can handle it.  Remove the meat from the chicken and
discard all the rest (skin and bones and some unknown stuff).  Chop
the meat into bite-sized chunks.

Bring the broth back to a boil.  Cut the dumplings into strips about
one-inch wide (I use a pizza cutter to do this).  Pick up the strips
one at a time and pinch off pieces and drop them into the boiling
broth.  Every so often, stop and stir to make sure they're not
sticking together (I use a wooden spoon to do this).  When all the
dumplings are in the broth, let the whole thing cook about five more
minutes, then test a dumpling to see if it has the texture you want.
It should be done by now, but if the dumpling is still raw in the
middle, let it all cook a little longer.  Finally, add about a
half-teaspoon of salt and taste to see if it needs more.

Now add the milk or cream and dump the chicken back into the pot.
Bring the whole thing back to a boil, spoon it into a bowl and dust it
with black pepper.

Damn.  I'm going to have to make me a pot this Sunday.  Thanks for
bringing this up.

___

I usually double the recipe (not the chicken, just the dumplin's)
because warmed up chicken n dumplins' are great, too! I also don't
do the cream or milk part and they turn out just like my mother
makes. We also established that you keep dusting the dough with
flour as you're rolling them out until they almost look like they're
covered with powdered sugar. This makes the broth thicker.

