Southern Chicken and Dumplings
By Confabulation in the Kitchen
Serves about 4
Note: Remember to remove the chicken breasts from the poaching liquid, but don't pour it out! Keep it in the pot to cook your dumplings in.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup green peas or green beans (optional, and frozen are fine)
1/2 cup chopped carrot (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Put chicken breasts in large pot and cover with at least one inch of water. Stir in salt, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and let water simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool, but keep the broth in the pot. Once cool enough to touch, chop into chunks or shred breasts and set aside.
2. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in 3/4 cup milk until ingredients just come together.
3. Dump dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead until you get a stiff dough, then roll out thinly and cut into strips.
4. Add to broth four tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of milk and bring to a boil. Drop in vegetables, if using, and cook to desired doneness.
5. Slowly drop dough strips into broth but do not stir or you'll break them. Add chopped chicken and let cook about 10 minutes. Serve hot, and season to taste with salt and pepper.