Classic Homemade Chicken & Dumplings
📜 Collection: Gail Collection | ✍️ Attribution: Unknown | 📂 Category: Entrees A classic, from-scratch recipe featuring a whole chicken simmered into a rich broth, chilled to collect the fat, and used to create a simple, dense ‘slick’ dumpling dough.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Inactive / Chill Time | Yield / Servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mins | 1 hour | 3 hours | 6-8 servings |
🔪 Key Equipment
- Large pot
- Refrigerator
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Knife
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Broth
| Measurements | Ingredients | Prep / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| One | Cut-up Fryer Chicken | with extra legs |
| As needed | Water | to cover |
| One (Small) | Onion | whole or halved |
| As needed | Carrot | whole or chopped |
| As needed | Diced Garlic | fresh |
| As needed | Celery | stalks |
| One | Bay Leaf | whole |
| One Teaspoon | Salt & Pepper | or to taste |
For the Dumplings
| Measurements | Ingredients | Prep / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two Cups | Flour | all-purpose |
| One Teaspoon | Salt | fine |
| As needed | Skimmed Chicken Grease | reserved from the chilled broth |
Instructions
Cooking the Chicken
- Place One cut-up fryer chicken with extra legs in a large pot. Add As needed water to cover.
- Add One (Small) onion, As needed carrot, As needed diced garlic, As needed celery, One bay leaf, and One teaspoon salt & pepper.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Test the chicken for tenderness with a fork after about 30 minutes until it is tender but not falling off the bone.
- Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat and let the chicken and broth cool completely.
- Put the pot in the refrigerator until the As needed skimmed chicken grease settles on top and solidifies.
Preparing the Broth and Dough
- Skim the cold, solidified As needed skimmed chicken grease off the top of the broth and set aside.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones and set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine the Two cups flour and One teaspoon salt.
- Add the skimmed chicken grease to the flour mixture. Work the grease in with your hands until you can squeeze the dough together.
- Roll out the dough and cut it into big squares.
Cooking the Dumplings
- Bring the defatted chicken broth back to a rolling boil, adding extra water if needed to ensure plenty of boiling liquid.
- Drop the Dumplings one by one into the boiling broth.
- Cover the pot. When it returns to a boil, turn the heat down to a slow, gentle boil.
- Cook for about 12 minutes until the dumplings are tender and cooked through.
- Add the deboned chicken meat back to the pot and heat through for a few minutes until hot and fragrant before serving.
💡 Make-Ahead & Storage: Store leftover chicken and dumplings sealed in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Original Recipe Scan
