Every weekend, it was a given what was in store for us and our excited taste buds! Grandma’s Favorite Chicken & Dumplings was always on the menu and we looked so forward to it! A whole chicken is tenderly cooked, then combined with seasoned succulent broth, sweet carrots, flavorful celery, and homemade tender dumplings cooked just right. It doesn’t get any more down-home than with Grandma’s Favorite Chicken & Dumplings. She makes a gem of a meal!
Ingredients
- 1 (2 1/2-3-pound) whole chicken
- 1 cup celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 quarts water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting a work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup whole buttermilk
- fresh chives, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –In a Dutch oven over high heat, add the whole chicken, the celery, the carrots, the water, and 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 2 –Cover the Dutch oven and reduce the stovetop heat to medium-low.
Step 3 –Let the chicken mixture simmer until it is tender, the juices run clear, and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour.
Step 4 –Transfer the chicken from the broth mixture to a large platter and let it stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Reserve the broth mixture in the Dutch oven.
Step 5 –Remove and discard the skin and the bones from the cooked chicken and, with a sharp knife, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Step 6 –With the stovetop heat on high, bring the broth mixture to a boil.
Step 7 –Add the black pepper, and stir to combine.
Step 8 –In a large bowl, add 2 cups of the flour, the baking soda, and the remaining salt and whisk to combine.
Step 9 –With a pastry blender or by hand, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles the texture of a coarse meal.
Step 10 –With a fork, add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Step 11 –Using the extra flour, generously dust a work surface.
Step 12 –Add the dough to the prepared work surface and knead it lightly, about 4-5 times.
Step 13 –By hand, pat the dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
Step 14 –Pinch the dough off into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
Step 15 –Carefully yet quickly, so the dumplings cook evenly, add the dough pieces to the boiling broth.
Step 16 –Reduce the stovetop heat to medium-low and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the dumplings are cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 17 –Add the cooked chicken to the soup and cook, while stirring, to combine until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 18 –Serve garnished with the chives.
