Down Home Chicken and Dumplings

Cook the chicken in salted and seasoned water with the chopped onion until chicken is done. There is no harm in leaving it to simmer for as long as you want; the longer it simmers, the more tender it becomes. When you begin to make your dumplings, pull the chicken out to a cutting board so that it can cool. Go ahead and add your butter, peas and carrots (if using) now so that they can be cooking.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the shortening using a pastry blender. It comes together very easily. Add about 1 1/2 cups of your chicken stock, straight out of the pot, and stir to combine. The dough will still seem pretty dry, but that’s okay. Dump it out on your counter and knead it a bit until it all comes together.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out thinly, to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick (I prefer to smoosh them pretty thin – it’s just the way we like them here). Then use a knife or a pizza roller to cut the dough into strips. Any size will do, but mine are typically 1 1/2 inches across by 3-4 inches long. Add the dumplings and milk to your boiling stock, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

While they are cooking, chop up your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add it back in at any point, it’s up to you. It is best to keep a lid on the boiling dumplings so that they steam—the outcome is better. I filled my pot so full though that it caused overflow, so just be careful! When ready, spoon out and enjoy!