Chicken 'n Dumplings

It's snowing, gray, cold, windy and I don't want to leave the house....so I am thinking real old fashioned comfort food.  Chicken 'n dumplings just the way my Mother makes them, rolled and pinched off into bubbling chicken stock rich and well seasoned.  Now that is comfort food for a cold winters night.

I have set about to accomplish this earlier today by thawing 3 split chicken breasts and 2 quarts of home made stock tucked away in my deep freeze for just such an occasion as this.

After preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. I salted and peppered generously the chicken and placed them on a foil lined half sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. They were then popped into the oven for 45 minutes and have emerged a golden brown.  When cool enough to handle I pulled the meat from the bone to later accompany the dumplings.



Rolled Dumplings:

2 C. flour
2 T. shortening
2 t. baking powder
milk enough to form a dough that can be rolled

Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl and whisk them together well, cut in the shortening with you fingers until very well combined.  Make a well in the center of the flour and add a small amount (start with a few tablespoons) of cold milk.

Gather together with a fork and continue adding small amounts of milk until you have a dough similar to biscuit dough.  Poll out on a well floured counter or board until about 1/8" thick.  Using a paring knife cut the dough in strips about an inch wide.

Bring the broth to a boil and add the dumpling strips, pinching them off at about 2" intervals.  Simmer for a couple of minutes.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.  Add the pieces of the reserved roast chicken and bring back to a simmer and serve. It only takes a few minutes for the dumplings to cook although they can be held on simmer for a time without difficulty.

Note:  When the recipe was given to me by Mom she wrote it out by cup of flour.  For each cup of flour use 1 T. shortening and 1 t. baking powder and cold milk to form dough.  If you want to make more or less than this,  that would be the formula.  Beware of how much you can roll out and cook at one time.