Chicken And Dumplings

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 whole hen or 1 whole chicken
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 place hen or chicken in a large pot with enough water to cover. (you could also use several chicken breasts instead of whole chicken.).
• 2 cook on low-medium heat until done. remove the chicken from the pot. keep the broth in the pot. you will cook the dumplings in this broth.
• 3 cool the chicken until you can remove the skin and bones. (i usually shred the chicken, but you can cube it if you wish.).
• 4 meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and shortening with a fork until it resembles crumbs.
• 5 add milk and mix well.
• 6 roll out to about 1/8 inch on floured waxed paper or on a floured counter.
• 7 let set for about 30 minutes while you debone and shred cooked chicken.
• 8 cut the dough into strips. (i usually use a pizza cutter for this & cut the strips about 1"x2 or 3" wide.).
• 9 put the chicken and 1/3 cup butter into the broth in the pot.
• 10 bring the broth to a boil.
• 11 drop the dough strips into the boiling broth, one at a time.
• 12 simmer for 30 minutes, then serve in bowls.
• 13 note: i usually double the amount of dumpling dough. my family likes lots of dumplings. i have made this ahead by freezing the cut dumplings on a cookie sheet, then transferring to a zip-lock bag. freeze the broth with shredded chicken in a separate container. when you're ready to eat them, just heat the broth & chicken to a boil (thaw dumplings while heating broth) and drop in the dumplings & cook according to directions.