Chicken and Dumplings

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbs. vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• approx. 3/4 c. milk

Steps:

1. Cut chicken into large pieces. Put chicken in large pot, covered with water. Cover, bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 45 minutes. Lift chicken from broth. Turn up heat on broth, and continue to boil until reduced by 1/2 or more.
2. Remove skin and bone from chicken. Tear into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and shortening, then add enough milk to make a dough (about 3/4 cup). Turn dough out on a floured board, knead a couple of times, then roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dumplings in 2-inch wide strips, 3-5 inches long.
4. Drop dumplings into boiling broth. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, until dumplings are done and "drop."
5. Return chicken to pot, and heat through. Check for salt, and add black pepper if desired.

Notes:

• This is my mother's recipe, although her written version is much more cryptic, and I haven't quite sorted it out. I like a thicker broth, so have been trying to reduce it, and possibly add thickener. I like more dumplings -- often increase the recipe by 1/2.

Keywords: American, Chicken.