Looking for a Chicken and Dumplings recipe

OK I will be the first to admit that I'm not a great cook.I can make a few dishes well, but the rest is pre-packaged in a box. So I am really craving some homestyle comfort food. My mom used to make this fabulous chicken stew with a thick broth and dumplings.Unfortunately she passed away when I was young and I never learned how to make it.Does anyone have a good recipe?

From Martha Stewart herself.

Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Serving: Serves 6 to 8

6 to 8 carrots, peeled
6 ribs celery
2 3-pound chickens, cut into 8 pieces, and rinsed well
5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 fresh chives
1 6-inch sprig fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions

Coarsely chop half of the carrots and celery and add to a 6-quart saucepan with a tight fitting lid along with chicken, parsley, chives, rosemary, garlic, onion, bay leaf, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add 12 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until chicken begins to fall off the bones, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat and let cool 1 hour.

Remove chicken and strain broth into a large bowl. Discard bones, skin, carrots, celery, and herbs. Coarsely chop chicken; set aside half of the chicken and reserve any remaining chicken for another use. Cut remaining 3 carrots and 3 ribs of celery into 1/2-inch pieces. Return broth to 6-quart saucepan and place over high heat, add chopped carrots and celery; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Add to flour and butter mixture and stir until a moist dough forms.

Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of dough into the simmering broth and cover. Cook until dumplings are cooked through and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in reserved chicken, peas, and corn, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Why thank you that sounds tasty. Any Ideas for a good dessert to go with that?

Well, I make this about twice per month...I'm a southern gal and there is an unspoken rule that this must be made in our household whether we like it or not. My recipe is not as fancy as Leyla's recipe but it's quite simple.

For the record, if anyone ever posts a chicken & dumplings recipe that calls for canned biscuit mix....please ignore. There should be a law against it. This recipe has been passed down in my family from my great, great grandmother.


One whole chicken...preferably a hen.

In stock pot, cover the chicken completely with water. Pinch or two of salt. You can add a couple chicken flavor cubes if you wish...I do.
Boil the chicken covered until it's falling apart from the bone in the water.....a couple hours minimum. Don't worry about skimming the fat off the top until later.

Remove from heat and take the chicken out of the broth and let it cool before removing the meat from the bones. Be sure to get all bones out of your broth especially if you have young children.

Now it's time to remove the meat from the bone and add it back into the broth. Don't turn the heat back on yet. I like to really shred mine so that there's a bit of chicken in every bite.

Now it's time for making your dumplings....this is the hardest part. All you need is all-purpose flour, water, a rolling pin and a pizza cutter...that's it. It will be quite messy.

In a bowl, put in a mound of flour. Make a small well in the center of the flour. Then put a bit of water in the well. Stir in water ONLY as you need it. The dough should hold it's shape and NOT be too gooey or wet. This is the key to really good dumplings....here in the south it is something kin to an art form. You may use your hands or a spoon. When you believe the dough is just right, put the dough ball on a floured surface. Use your rolling pin to roll out your desired thickness. Please do not make too thin or they will fall apart in the water.
Use the pizza cutter to make 1.5 inch squares. I usually make 3 batches of dumplings for my whole recipe.

Now, back to the broth....bring it back to a boil when you have your dumplings ready to go. Once boiling, start dropping the dumplings in the water one at a time....they will cook instantly. Once you have put in all of your dumplings, turn the heat down to very low. The broth will thicken naturally. At this time, the excess fat will move to the side of the pot where it is quite easy to skim off with a spoon.

Hope you enjoy this AccessDenied and I am sorry for the loss of your mother.......

Originally posted by AccessDenied

Why thank you that sounds tasty. Any Ideas for a good dessert to go with that?

Of course!

Green Tomato Cake with Brown Butter Icing
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Browned Butter Icing, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees* You might want to lower the temperature incase your stove gets too hot. F. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well.

(Batter will be soft.) Stir in tomatoes, raisins, and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 70 to 75 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Note *Now this is a bit tricky part make sure no one stampedes through the house as the cake bakes or it will fall.

Remove from pan, and let cool completely. Spoon Browned Butter Icing over cake.


Browned Butter Icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until butter is lightly browned. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth.
Yield: about 1 cup

Thank you sdp333. You are right about not using biscuit mix for dumplings. I know my mom made them from scratch and thats how I want to do it to. My mouth is watering now.

Leyla- I have never heard of green tomato cake. Green tomato relish and fried green tomatos, I've heard of. But I am willing to try it. Who knows maybe it will become a family favorite!

Leyla- I just read the note at the bottom of the recipe *make sure no one stampedes through the house or the cake will fall. Wish me the best of luck with that- I have 8 kids that all live with me. Hey can I double that recipe successfully?

Originally posted by AccessDenied
Leyla- I just read the note at the bottom of the recipe *make sure no one stampedes through the house or the cake will fall. Wish me the best of luck with that- I have 8 kids that all live with me. Hey can I double that recipe successfully?

LOL 8 kids?! :shk: Oh gee. Yeah you can double it, make sure you have 2 or 3 bunt cake pans. Good Luck

Both those recipes sound divine! I've made this before, but have never made the bisquits from scratch. I've used bisquick.

Now I got something else to try! Thank you both!