Mother's Old-Fashioned Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
Poultry Recipes
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Shirley Wollard Woodlock learned to make chicken and dumplings while watching her mother, Jennie Wollard Nunn. "Hers were made to perfection," recalls Shirley. "She would always say, 'Don't forget the bay leaves and the pepper.'" Now Shirley always makes her mother's chicken and dumplings to bring to Wollard family reunions. The recipe was passed down from Shirley's grandmother, who grew up in the hills of Tennessee.
- 1 whole fryer chicken or hen
- 4 to 5 bay leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 to 6 tablespoons butter
- pepper, to taste
Dumplings:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 small eggs
- 3 cups flour
Wash the chicken and place into a large Dutch oven. Cover well with plenty of water and add bay leaves. Add salt and pepper, and the butter (the more butter, the richer the dish). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is well done, about 1 hour.
Remove the chicken from the broth. Discard the bay leaves. When the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the bone and return the deboned chicken to the broth. About 1/2 to 3/4 pot of broth should remain.
For dumplings: In a large bowl, mix together the salt, oil, water, and eggs. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, blending it constantly with a fork. Stir only long enough to mix the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Pinch the dough in half, and roll out until thin, about 1/4 inch. Slice the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips, and cross-slice into pieces 4 to 8 inches long, for ease in handling.
Bring the broth and chicken back to a boil, and pepper well to taste. Drop the dumpling strips into the boiling stock. Boil approximately 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the dumplings are done (they'll be puffy). Most of the broth will be absorbed. Serve with red pinto beans and corn bread.
Reviews by Readers
This is too elaborate to be titled Mother's Old Fashioned." I am 50 and am still using my great grandmother's recipe, which is much simpler. – Reviewed by jack malone
I found this recipe a good substitute for my great-grand dad's recipe (I am 71), which used lard (and later shortening) for the dumping dough and a good fat home grown hen needed no additional butter in the broth. This recipe took much less time to make without sacrificing too much of the flavor or texture of our family recipe. A keeper. – Anonymous Review
This one is quite similar to the one I''ve been using for years. – Anonymous Review
This was cooked in a crockpot all day.I had to substitute a few ingredients but this was a hit with the guys. I added 1/2 t of rosemary, 1T parsley along with the bay leaves, and also chunks of carrots. The broth was a little thin so I mixed in 3/4 cup of instant potatoes.I used instant biscuit mix and next time I won't. It was very good! – Reviewed by diane kronsberg
My mother used lard instead of oil and just before serving used a small can of milk (or cream) and poured it into dumplings, and then sprinkled with black pepper. So creamy and good. That is how my grandfather taught her to make them. She dropped them slowly into the bubbling juice, so they did not stick together. – Anonymous Review
I found this recipe a few years ago in the Almanac and gave it a try. It turned out so good that I am constantly asked for the recipe. This is a good old fashioned dish which requires lots of cornbread for crumbling in and sopping the plate clean. – Reviewed by Daniel Hamm
If you like chicken and dumplings, this is the best I have ever had...and I am very picky! – Reviewed by Kana Hill
Oh my ... what great memories. I'm from a Pennsylvania Dutch family, on my Dad's side, and these were the BEST eats growing up! Our dumplings were peppery, and the chicken was sometimes substituted with a hambone (therefore Hambone Potpie), another of us kids favorites. – Reviewed by Judy Draganjac
This was good, but the dumplings were very heavy. – Reviewed by RO Waters
Great. – Reviewed by LeaAnn Johnson
Almost as good as Cracker Barrel's. – Reviewed by Julie Maidens
I just want to thank you. I remember my mom making this and it was never written down, but you just gave it back. Thanks. – Reviewed by Sam Corey
Just like my grammy makes!!! – Reviewed by Cyndi Kirby
My mom and I always go to Cracker Barrel to get chicken and dumplings. Now we won't have to. This recipe is very easy to make and tastes delicious. – Anonymous Review
I would make it again but would add carrots, celery and onion. – Anonymous Review
This recipe reminds me of my grandmother's specialty! It was very easy to prepare and delicious! I varied it a bit to use the turkey that I made yesterday. We saved and used the white and dark meat as well as the "drippings"...It was fantastic! Thank you for this perfect dumpling recipe! – Anonymous Review
I would tweak this recipe a bit. I like carrot, onions, celery and lots of Italian parsley in it. Also, I found a simpler idea, instead of making the dumplings, I use Kluski Frozen Noodles in mine. They are wide & heavy like homemade – Reviewed by Carol Jewell
I liked this recipe but prefer my own dumpling mix of 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some parsley - rolled the same way. I add thyme, sage and parsley along with the bay leaves and add a few white potatoes (pared and diced) and cook everything about 25 minutes longer. Heavy dumplings and a stew like broth. This was passed from a Quaker family. – Reviewed by d shannahan
The taste was great but the dumplings were hard and lumpy. – Anonymous Review
Very similar to what I, my Mom and my Mamaw have made for years but instead of the water, we use our broth. – Reviewed by Michelle Phillips
I love this recipe. It's almost exactly like my mom and nannies. Of course we never had bay leaves and they used lard for the dumplings. I still make it that way and of course vegetables were NEVER allowed in the chicken and dumplings. – Anonymous Review
Great with fried corn bread. Almost as good as my Mom's and Grandma's used to be. – Anonymous Review
There's a much simpler way to make the dumplings. Don't mix the dough quite as dry, and instead of rolling it out, drop it into the broth using a teaspoon or a very small scoop. The dumplings are fluffier and it doesn't take nearly as long. – Anonymous Review
I use the fat from hen instead of oil. Much more flavor. I also add stalks of celery when cooking the chicken. A layer of stalks under most meat acts like a cooking rack and gives a lot of flavor. – Reviewed by PATRICIA WATSON
My father makes this also and when making the dumplings he covers the pot for 10 minutes and then uncovered for 10 minutes, thus making the dumplings huge!!! – Anonymous Review
I would call these noodles as it is not what I remember gumplings being like when I was a kid. My mom made chicken and dumplings and they were fluffy mounds of a bready like substance. Times sure have changed if this is what they call dumplings nowadays. – Reviewed by Beulah Starr
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