Beyond the basics, you will see that I have two alternative versions of dumpling ingredients. The basic one, which is found in almost all recipes is similar to a pie dough recipe except for the rising agent, baking powder. The other version includes two eggs and less milk to create a more noodle-like dumpling, ergo with a more smooth and slippery texture, which is one of the things I love about the dumplings at Cracker Barrel®. I suggest you try both versions, which can be done in one recipe preparation, if you want, by dividing the dry dumpling ingredients in half and processing each half separately, with appropriate changes to the shortening and other ingredients, using only one whisked egg in one batch and no egg in the other. You can cook the dumplings together after they have been cut and dried and that will demonstrate, easily, the differences in each type. Thereafter you will make the version that pleases you best.
Note that most chicken and dumpling recipes on the Internet are not at all useful as they create weird soups or puffy or almost dry dumpling mixtures and not the creamy thickened gravy type of broth that is characteristic of the best recipes, like this one ... And like the dish at Cracker Barrel®, which is very tasty. It turns out that you have to refer to these superior flat dumplings as "rolled" dumplings if you want to check out various appropriate Internet dumpling recipes.
Your ratio of chicken meat to dumplings and gravy in this recipe will be far superior to what is served at Cracker Barrel®. Of course, they serve theirs with only pieces of chicken breast, while I use all types of the chicken meat except the giblets from stewing a whole chicken. If the chicken is small I add a chicken breast to get the meat to gravy and dumplings ratio I want. If I changed anything further in this recipe it would be to make more dumplings because I really love them in the gravy.
A word or two about stewing chickens is in order. First, for this dish the best choice is a very large oven stuffer roasting chicken, because they are typically a full 5 pounds or more after the giblets are removed. Supermarkets frequently pack very small stewing chickens with lots of extra giblets inside just to get the weight at or above 5 pounds. That is a dirty trick. Thus, you can supplement the amount of chicken, if needed, by including a chicken breast or two small breast halves.
Finally, I used a beef base product when I made my original recipe of beef and dumplings that I had never tried before. It was the beef type of the product Better Than Bullion® and I was impressed by the ingredients and how it amped up the flavor. That means this recipe for chicken and dumplings can use the chicken base version of Better Than Bullion® if the chicken flavor from the chicken you simmer typically isn't as strong as you like. Thus, the use of Better Than Bullion® is optional, but it is very nice knowing there is a product like it to add needed flavor intensity to a mildly flavored dish.
You may want to make and chill a Waldorf Salad in advance to serve as an accompaniment to the chicken and dumplings, to give variety in colors, textures and tastes. There is a fine Waldorf Salad recipe in Food Nirvana. Also, you might chill a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio wine to serve with this meal.
Have fun making and eating this dish. You will be most popular with your guests. You will not likely need to serve a dessert if you make the Waldorf Salad, for this meal is very filling and the salad is sweet. It is particularly nice to make and enjoy hot chicken and dumplings during cool or cold weather.
Ingredients: (makes six generous adult servings)
Chicken and Broth/Gravy Mixture:
1 large fryer or stewing chicken or roaster (more than 5 lbs.), at refrigerator temperature, after neck and giblets have been removed
1 large chicken breast or two small breast halves (only if needed)
2 quarts of chicken broth
1 quart of water
2 tsp. of Better Than Bullion® Chicken Base (optional)
1 large onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
3 carrots cut into slices
3 stalks of celery, cut into pieces about one inch long
2 tsp. of Kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. of ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. of Bells® poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp. of turmeric
4 tbsp. of cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup of water (hold until the last step for thickening the gravy)
Dumplings:
3 cups of flour
1 tsp. of baking powder
3/4 tsp. of salt
3/8 cup of Crisco® shortening, chilled
3/8 cup of butter, chilled
2 extra large or jumbo eggs and 1/4 cup of cold milk, or, 3/4 to 1 cup of cold milk and no eggs
Optional: (to use at serving time, either on top of or mixed in with the chicken and dumplings)
1/2 cup of freshly chopped parsley
Directions:
Place the chicken and any additional chicken pieces, the onions, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, turmeric, salt, pepper and the optional Better Than Bullion® if you are using it (but not the cornstarch) in a 1 1/2 to 2 gallon pot and cover (or nearly cover) the mixture with the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, with the pot covered. Cook the chicken for 1 hour at a simmer or very low boil until it is cooked through (about 165 degrees F). If the chicken isn't completely covered by the liquid you can turn it over two or three times during cooking to assure even cooking. Note that you needn't worry if the chicken isn't quite done as the shredded pieces of it you will make next will be simmered later when thickening the broth to make the gravy.
Once the chicken is done, turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the broth, letting any broth in the chicken drain back into the pot, then cut the chicken apart into pieces and let them cool on a wood cutting board for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then remove the cooled chicken meat from each piece and cut/tear/shred it into medium to small size pieces. The idea is you want to avoid large chunks of chicken, so some squeezing of the cut pieces will partially shred them. Put those pieces into a large bowl. Discard the bones, fat, gristle, dark flesh, veins and skin.
Pour the broth from the pot into a large bowl through a fine sieve to capture the vegetable pieces and all unwanted small pieces of fat, skin, etc., from the chicken. Discard the vegetable pieces, or use them for some other purpose.
You might or might not decide to partially defat the chicken broth with a ladle or with a pourer designed to defat broths, and then return the broth to the pot. The idea is that you want some chicken fat in the final dish for flavor, but not necessarily all of it. This is a matter of personal preference, as well as that of actual rendered fat content of the chicken you use. I typically do not defat the broth, for besides giving good flavor the fat combines with the flour from the dumplings and the cornstarch later when making the gravy, so there is no obvious fat anywhere once the dish is made.
Put the flour, baking powder and salt together in an electric mixer bowl. Run the mixer on medium low speed. Cut the chilled Crisco® and butter into the flour mixture gradually in roughly one teaspoon amounts and continue mixing on medium speed until the contents resemble small peas. This may take a few minutes of mixing after all the shortening has been added. Actually, it may not happen at all, so just mix for three or four minutes on medium speed after all of the shortening has been added and proceed to the next step.
If you are not using the optional egg method, add the milk, only 1/4 cup at a time while mixing for a minute or two between milk additions, for you may not need a full cup. If you decide to use the optional eggs and milk version then whisk the eggs and add the 1/4 cup of milk to it and whisk well, and add it all at once into the flour mixture. If you didn't use the egg option, repeat the milk additions and continue mixing only until a ball of dough begins to form. Whichever method you use the formation of the mixture into dough will be obvious so it is easy to know when to stop mixing.
Divide the dough in half and knead each piece by hand or by using a dough hook with the electric mixer for a minute or two, then form a rectangle of dough about 1" thick and put it onto some plastic wrap. Wrap the dough with the plastic wrap and refrigerate the it for 30 to 60 minutes. The chilling and resting period will help gluten formation, which is highly desirable in keeping the dough together later while the dumplings are cooking in the broth.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. I like to put plastic wrap on a granite countertop and dust it with flour. Then I partially knead and flatten the dough to a 1" or less thickness by hand to make rolling it out easier. Then I dust the dough with flour, center it on the plastic wrap and put a second piece of plastic wrap on top. Then I roll the dough with an ordinary rolling pin to about 1/8th of an inch thick. This method works perfectly for rolling dough without having it stick to any surface, and the rolling pin stays clean.
Remove the top piece of plastic wrap, then use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife and cut the dough, roughly into rectangles about 1 inch wide by 2 inches long. Allow the dough strips to harden/dry for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour, then remove the pieces to a plate, being careful not to include any plastic wrap. I like to turn the pieces of dough over when putting them onto plates and loosely stack them, such that the damp surfaces that were underneath on the plastic wrap can dry like the top and sides ... and I let the dumplings dry for an additional 30 minutes.
Bring the broth to a simmer on high heat and drop in the dough strips a few at a time so they don't clump together. When they are all in the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and allow them to cook for 10 minutes at a simmer or very low boil. Do not stir them while they are cooking. You now have dumplings similar to the style served at Cracker Barrel®, especially if you used the eggs and milk option.
Add the shredded chicken pieces to the pot. Mix briefly and gently with a large wooden spoon and allow the mixture to cook, covered, at a simmer to partially thicken it, about 20 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch with the 1/2 cup of water and pour it into the simmering chicken and dumplings mixture slowly, while mixing gently. Then increase the heat to medium and let the mixture come to a low boil while mixing gently and it will be thickened in a minute or two at a low boil. Note that the gravy will thicken more overnight with any leftovers you may have (due in part to moisture absorption by the dumplings) so don't overdo the use of cornstarch initially even if the gravy thickness isn't quite what you want immediately at the end of the cooking.
Serve the chicken and dumplings hot in wide shallow bowls that have been pre-warmed in a 180 degrees F oven.
If you want you can sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley on top of each serving to add color and good complementary taste. Alternatively, you can mix the chopped parsley into the chicken and dumplings in the pot before serving it.
Let each guest season their serving with salt and pepper, to taste.
Did you remember to make/serve the Waldorf Salad and the chilled Pinot Grigio wine?
Enjoy!