Chicken N' Dumplings Done Right

I have learned so much from my mother: humility, happiness, survival, and how to cook. My mom was the original working woman when it was not in vogue. She worked during the era when women were supposed to wear crinolines and pearls and meet their husbands at the door with a martini when they returned from working. My mom, widowed at an early age, worked in a sweatshop for minimum wages, reared 4 children alone, grew our food, and endured a hard life. But you will find no bitterness in this incredible woman, only happiness and contentment; no blame, only responsibility. She made sure we learned survival skills and how to cook. And everyone in my family cooks, learned from those long weekends of canning vegetables from our summer garden to last thru winter. Skills long lost on today’s youth. The kitchen was our gathering place, a happy place and it still is today.

I, my daughter, Lindsey, grandson, Arthur and granddaughter, Rowan recently visited mom’s kitchen to learn her secret recipe of her famous, sought after Chicken N’ Dumplings. I am a good cook, but there was always something missing in my pot. The dumplings were never quite right; the broth either too thick or too thin. We watched with eagle eyes, took notes and documented with pictures as she prepared our dinner.

The first thing she did was rinse the bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (my family prefers white meat, but you could use leg quarters or a whole chicken as well). She covered the breast with enough water (her words) or about 6 cups and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. She brought it up to a boil, turned the heat to medium-low and half covered the pot with a lid. She let the chicken boil (hotter than most chefs and cookbooks recommend) until it started to fall off the bone, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. We removed the chicken pieces from the pot to a plate to cool so we could pull the meat off the bone.

The smell coming from the pot was already incredible!

We had lots of help with the dough.

While the chicken cooked, we made the dumplings. In a bowl, cut 1/4 cup shortening (she only uses Crisco) into 2 cups of all-purpose flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt using a pastry cutter or do as she did and rub the flour together with the shortening with your fingers. Stir in enough cold water (again her words but about 1 cup) with a spoon or preferably your hands to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out on a floured cloth or surface and knead several times. This may be a work-out because the dough should be pretty stiff. Let rest a few minutes, then roll out in a very thin rustic circle, (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut into strips about 1 1/2-inches wide with a butter knife. Let the dough rest and dry out slightly while chicken is finishing cooking.

These hands have created a lot of love in her kitchen......

Remove (or pick as my mom instructed) the chicken from the bones and return back to the pot of broth.

Turn the heat to medium-high and add 2-3 cups of whole milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and begin adding the dough by tearing into 2-3 inch pieces and dropping into the simmering milk/broth combination.

DO NOT STIR! You can shake the pot to rearrange the dumplings if needed. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are transparent. Ladel into a bowl and enjoy the best comfort food ever!

My mom is right, of all the gifts to family, none is sweeter than memories from the kitchen.

Even though my mom will soon celebrate her 89th birthday, she still cooks for her family, friends and community and relishes every minute of it.

Happy birthday, mom! I love you more than you will ever know!

Chicken n' Dumplings

3-4 bone-in chicken breasts (or leg quarters or whole chicken)

about 6 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cups whole milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup or less shortening

about 1 cup cold water