I didn't get to see my
paternal grandparents much. 600 miles and more than 9 hours separated us. I
think we made the trip to Lufkin about three times a year, with my dad making
the trip alone more frequently. That's a long haul to East Texas with four
kids.
Nothing about my
grandmother's cooking standouts more than her chicken and dumplings. In my mind
it seemed she made it with every meal, no matter what other meat or side dishes
were prepared. I used to watch her roll the dough on newspaper. Chicken and
dumplings. Makes your mouth water to say it.
I'm ashamed I didn't get
the recipe from her. Alzheimer's beat me to it. Mamaw might not have had the finest
education, but in the kitchen she was well schooled on down home Southern
cooking.
I have fiddled and played
around with this recipe for dumplings until I have it nearly as close as
possible to hers, at least in my mind's taste buds. I don't brag too loudly
around my dad because his taste bud memories are no doubt better than mine. I
just know when I make this I feel closer to her and it makes me feel good,
especially if I'm blue.
This is for all my East
Texas cousins who remember and loved Mamaw's chicken and dumplings. And for my dear
friend, John.
To make proper
dumplings...ok, I'm sorry. I simply can't type that damn "g" anymore.
Anyone in the South knows it's pronounced dumplins,
therefore I'm going to spell it that way. That little "g" was
annoying the hell out of me.
Dumplins in and of
themselves wouldn't be the pinnacle of taste perfection without the chicken
broth, so we really have to start there-with the broth. I'm not going in to gory
details about Mamaw going in the backyard and wringing a chicken's neck.
Suffice it to say that having bone-in chicken is a necessity for delectable
broth. A hunk of chicken meat boiled in water will have a slightly more
appealing taste than boiled underpants. And leave the skin on and stop worrying
about heart-healthy issues, we're not making kale consommé for vegans here.
Besides, we won't be eating the skin or the bones, so stop thinking disgusting
carnivorous thoughts.
Depending how you enjoy
your chicken, you can use breasts or legs and thighs. I think it's better to
have a mix of light and dark meat: one large breast with a thigh and leg. It
gives you lots of skin and both thin and thick bones. Throwing a neckbone or
backbone in for good measure would be a good idea also, simply for the added
flavor. This is the same process for making chicken noodle soup. In my family
chicken noodle soup is mandatory when you're sick. For soup we prefer mostly
broth and noodles and little chicken, because of either the sore throat or
upset tummy. For chicken and dumplins though, you want a hearty helping of
meat.
In the largest pot you
have, add the chicken (white, dark, or mixed) and fill the pot up with water.
Cook on medium heat, as long as there is a gentle boil at all times. I also
like to add garlic salt to the water when boiling chicken. For this recipe
specifically I add dried garlic and onion while the chicken cooks. After about
1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is mostly cooked, remove the meat and let
cool. Meanwhile add more water to the pot because it will substantially cook
down, and add some chicken stock,
broth or bouillon. I really like the Better Than Bouillon chicken base you can
buy at the grocery store. I usually add at least a tablespoon, if not a little
more.
While waiting for the
broth to boil again, it's time to make the doughy divinity. You can make
dumplins from canned biscuits if you want, my dad does plenty of times. But I
will unequivocally refuse to eat them. Not on a train and not in the rain.
There's too much goodness in the world to tolerate mediocrity.
In a medium bowl, put the
flour and seasonings; stir. Add the lard. Now is not the time to get squeamish
about the lard. Without an insulation of fat we would not survive the harsh
winters as a society. Besides, dumplins can't be made without it. If you don't
believe me, try it a different way. But I won't be eating those pathetic strips
of wanna-bes and doubtfully no one else will, either. You'll be surprised at
how little is actually kneaded (HA!) in the dough, anyway.
Mix the lard into the
flour with a fork. Doesn't look much like dough, huh. Here comes the broth. Add
at least two tablespoons, and probably a little more, to the flour/lard
mixture. This is what binds it together. You want to mix just long enough for
it all to stick together. You're not making a clay ashtray for your mother, so
don't over work it. I start out by using the fork because the broth is hot.
After it begins to cool I use my hands.
Once it seems to have
made a ball of itself, get out the extra flour and liberally sprinkle your
surface. I tried to Google the mat and rolling pin I use so I could accurately
describe it. I found a picture of it on eBay listed as "vintage".
Nevermind.
Take half of the dough
and put it on the floured surface; rub more flour on top of the dough half.
After rubbing the pin with flour, begin rolling it out. You want the dough to
be pretty thin because it will thicken when cooked. I roll a few times in one
direction and then a few times in a quarter turn of where I rolled. Thinking of
a clock. I roll 6 to 12 a few times, then 9 to 3 a few times, continuing until
I have it close to being sheer. As you roll you'll notice you need to keep
adding a few sprinkles of flour, to keep the dough from sticking to the pin.
Once the dough is all
rolled out, take a sharp knife and make long cuts about 1" apart, from 12
to 6. Once this is done, make long cuts about 4" apart, from 9 to 3. None
of it has to be perfect. Make your strips as long or as wide as you prefer. Mine
are more of a 1x4.
When all the dough is
cut, I like to spread additional flour on top and dredge the bottom of the
strips in flour.
By now you should have
plenty of broth and it should be at a rolling boil. If it isn't, crank the heat
on high until it's rolling. Drop each strip individually. You'll notice the
middle will start stacking up with strips, but along the edges of the pot the
water is still at a rolling boil. Start dropping the strips along these edges.
Do not stir and do not disrupt anything in the pot. You still have the other
half of the dough to roll and cut.
Once you have rolled out
the other half, cut it and put all the strips in the boiling broth, remove the
skin on the cooked chicken and discard. Tear the meat off the bones This
doesn't need to be diced, sliced or julienned. Simply tear up the chicken from
the bones and drop on top of the dumplins, which essentially weighs them down
without stirring.
This is the point of
skill. You want to lower the heat from high, to medium, or whatever you need to
do on your stovetop to keep the broth
boiling, even at a gentle boil. You can now make one pass with a large wooden
spoon along the bottom of the pot, as an attempt to keep them from sticking to
the bottom. Stop after one pass.
After the addition of the
chicken it takes 20-30 minutes of cooking for the dumplins to get cooked. After
10 minutes you can make another swipe along the bottom of the pot. After
another 10 minutes you can make the final swipe along the bottom of the pot.
The flour will thicken
the broth to make it more soupy, which is the desired effect for chicken and
dumplins.
This is how I make
chicken and dumplins. It isn't necessarily hard or tricky, but a few tips to
keep in mind: Don't go crazy adding lard; don't mix the dough like a cement
mixer; don't stir the boiling dumplins more than 3 times. Some recipes call for
vegetables and others have you add a can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
Some dumplins are dropped and some are made out of canned biscuits. I
understand it's all a preference, but this is as close to how my grandmother
made them. And that's why it's my favorite.
Let me know what you
think. Try this and tell me how you made it better or easier. I'd love to hear
from you.
Happy cooking!
Chicken and Dumplins
For
the cooked chicken:
Chicken Parts with skin on (breast, thigh and leg or any
combination)
1/2 Tsp each Dried Garlic & Onion
For
the dumplins:
1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Salt, Pepper, Sage,
Thyme, Garlic Salt
3 Tbsp Shortening/lard (Crisco)
To
Cook the Chicken:
Boil the chicken in lots of
water in a large pot, with the dried garlic and onion, for about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the chicken and let cool.
Add more water plus broth to the pot. Leave the fire on medium/high heat to
return the broth to a boil. You want plenty of liquid for the dumplins to
absorb.
To
Make the Dumplins:
In a medium mixing bowl add the all dry ingredients; stir
well. Cut in the
shortening a little at a time, mixing in between each
addition. Add enough hot chicken broth to
the dough to hold the mixture together. 1 usually add about
2 tablespoons.
Knead the dough in the bowl just long enough for it to form
a ball.
Take half the dough and sprinkling flour as you go, roll the
dough as thin as you can. Cut into 1 inch strips about 3-4 inches long. Make
sure both sides of the strips are covered in flour.
Drop the strips individually in the rolling, boiling broth.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
Once all strips are in the boiling broth, tear the meat from
the chicken bones (discarding the skin) and put on top of the cooking dumplins.
Make one pass around the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Lower the heat enough that it will continue boiling for
20-30 minutes longer. In 10 minute increments you can make one pass along the
bottom of the pot to prevent the dumplins from sticking.
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