Thursday, August 5, 2010

Chicken 'n Dumplings, by request, and a note about your health (sort of!)

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So, this seems to be the week of the 'n recipes! Which means it's a week of truly delicious food. See the last post (HERE) for an explanation as to what makes the 'n so special! When I was trying to decide which recipes to post the other day, I posted a little poll on my personal facebook page (I will now do these on the Kelley's Kitchen Revival Facebook page, so be sure to click the 'like' button to the right of this entry!), and the recipe for green beans 'n bacon was the far and away winner. But, I had a special request for the Chicken 'n Dumpings recipe by an awesome girl, Ashley, and since she is a total foodie herself, and also has a great food blog (Click here to see her handiwork!) I am more than happy to oblige her!

Now, before I dispense with the deliciousness that is Chicken 'n Dumplins, there are a few housekeeping notes I'd like to get out of the way right now. First, let's sit down, and have a little chat about your health. Go ahead, get comfortable. Ready? Okay. There were a LOT of comments on the amount of butter in the Green Beans 'n Bacon recipe I posted earlier this week. A lot. Many of you were concerned for my health, perhaps rightfully so. Because I'm about to post another recipe which involves a fair amount of butter, I thought this would be a good opportunity to illustrate an important point. Just because I am a pre-med student, hoping to be a great doctor one day does not mean that I am dispensing ANY health-related advice on this website, nor does it mean I take particular care with my own health when it comes to nutrition. This website is strictly about GOOD FOOD, and sometimes good food is good, because it's so bad for you!

Plenty of Southern recipes fall into this category, including the one I'm about to share. If you're like me, and you like to live life on the edge, throw in that extra stick of butter and enjoy every last bite of deliciousness that results from its inclusion (and learn to love those extra pounds too, there's nothing wrong with a little extra cushion for the pushin'!). If you're like my uber healthy sister-in-law, Andrea, you'll learn my recipes, and then bastardize change them up, and make them healthier on your own. For example, when she makes my biscuits 'n gravy, she uses honey instead of sugar, and a heck of a lot less butter when she makes the chicken 'n dumplins. Whether you decide to live a little, and enjoy some great food, or healthy it up a little, and stay on the straight and narrow is between you, and your hips (or your heart), and your God! Amen!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's introduce these beauties, known as chicken 'n dumplins, and talk about what they are, and more importantly what they are NOT. If you do a quick internet search for the words chicken 'n dumplins (or dumplings, for the grammatically correct folks) you will see a whole lot of recipes for a conglomeration of chicken soup with biscuits on top. Note, this is NOT (let me repeat that again, NOT) chicken 'n dumplins. It makes no matter whether the biscuits are from a can, or you slaved over the dough for hours, it is simply a flat out lie to call these monstrosities chicken 'n dumplins, and one of the seven deadly sins at this here revival. No. Chicken 'n dumplins are a beautiful marriage of shredded chicken, and fresh-made, hand-rolled dumplins, which combine with chicken broth to form a thick, delicious gravy. There's no pulling these bad-boys from a can, or in a boxed-dinner at your local Wally World. They are Southern home-cookin' at its finest, and take a little bit of time, and a little bit of work to master. But the end result is worth every minute of your precious time in the kitchen, trust me on this.

My Mom taught me how to make this recipe, and I've been trying to perfect it since I was a child. I can remember standing in the kitchen with her trying to help, but being WAY too slow to roll the dough, cut it, and add the dumplins to the pan. So, I got to sprinkle the paprika, while I watched her work. I loved watching the dumplings disappear into the boiling froth, and then pop back up, glistening and puffy. It was almost mesmerizing. My Mom learned the skill from her Dad, my Papal, who died this past February, and was a truly awesome man. His specialties were chicken 'n dumplins, and pone bread. Don't worry, I don't really understand what pone bread is, either, all I know is he made it, and it was delicious. Maybe we'll get my Mom to do a guest post, and teach us all a thing or two about it.
Papal:
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With my brother and I as kids:
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With us (and my Mom, and little Landon) as adults:
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Okay, now onto the FOOD!

Hallelujahs:Delicious, Amazing, and completely nostaligc, really simple, common ingredients
Hellfires:They do take some time, and some practice, but come on, you can do it!

Chicken 'n Dumplins


Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste


-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.
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-Now, if you've never heard of rotisserie chicken seasoning, it's just a little red McCormick bottle you can find in the spice section of your local grocery store. It's got a great flavor, and I use it in several recipes. Here's a peek:
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-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).
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-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.
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-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.
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-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture
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-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer. Like this:
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-Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).
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-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.
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-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.
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-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.
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-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila! (See how the broth has turned into this thick, rich gravy?
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-And lest you think that I am a perfectly clean cook, I'll let you in on a little secret: I make a HUGE mess everytime I make these. But, it's totally worth it. See what Shelby looks like when I'm done?
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-The best way to serve this is over some hot, homemade mashed potatoes, and some bread or rolls to soak up all that delicious gravy!
YUM!!!!
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Now, go get to work, and don't forget (in the words of one of our favorite family friends, Laura), Perfect Practice makes Perfect!

Plain Text Recipe
Chicken 'n Dumplins

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste



-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.
-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).
-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.
-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.
-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture
-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer.
--Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).
-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.
-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.
-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.
-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila!

2 comments:

  1. Yum! I am not ashamed of the butter! I am so making this soon. Brett is thinking about getting that pot that you have. Do you use it in place of a Dutch oven?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm crying Kelley-Jo I'm touched by the tribute you paid to my Dad. I too remember being too little when I started making these and just getting to sprinkle. You're a great cook and a great daughter.

    ReplyDelete