My aunt Susan makes some mean chicken and dumplings, and I didn’t know that they weren’t homemade until I heard her joking one day about how long it took her to make all of her dumplings the exact same size and shape. Some people, I’m sure, would have been upset by this revelation, but I was thrilled. This meant that I could make delicious “homemade” chicken and dumplings at home without too much effort.
If you are offended by the use frozen dumplings, go ahead and stop reading now. If you are still reading, I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
First, put a whole chicken in a large pot,
almost cover it with water,
and add some salt and lots of pepper.
Let it simmer for about an hour, then set aside (preferably on a leftover Christmas paper plate… I kid!).
Add a box of chicken broth to the broth that you made by boiling the chicken.
Add a can of cream of chicken soup if you like your dumplings thick and creamy. If you like them soupier, leave it out.
These are the dumplings that I like to use. I have used other brands, too, and I’m sure that they are all just fine. I know that the package says to keep the dumplings frozen, and just put them in the pot still frozen, but that’s not how I do it. I either sit them out of the freezer and in the fridge the night before, or I sit them on the counter a few hours before I cook. In a pinch, you can put them in the microwave a few seconds at a time.
This is my work station. It’s thawed out dumplings, and a plate of all-purpose flour.
Take the dumplings, one at a time, plop them down in the flour, flip them over so the whole thing is covered, and put them in the pot of boiling broth. Again, one at a time. They will stick if you do it differently, and no one wants clumped up dumplings.
I’m sorry for the steamy picture, but I feel that this is a good time to tell you about the importance of stirring. Stir, stir, stir. Then stir some more. If you don’t stir it enough, they will stick together. I stir every three dumplings. That means that I add three dumplings (still one at a time), then give it a big stir. Then I add three more, and then stir again. I do this until I’ve added all of the dumplings. Once they are all added, let the pot boil for about 20 or 30 minutes, and stir at least every five minutes—more often if you’re feeling overly ambitious.
This is also a good time to talk about stirring utensils. Some people choose to stir with a knife so the dumplings don’t break. I tried it for a little while, but I was too worried about the effects of stirring with metal in my enameled Dutch oven, so I went back to using my trusty old spatula. It is true that a knife won’t break the dumplings, but I was more concerned about scratched enamel than broken dumplings, but that’s a personal choice. Make it for yourself.
Once the dumplings are finished cooking, pull all the meat off of that chicken that you boiled and then forgot about, and add it to the pot. Stir it in, serve it up, and devour.
By the way, if you’re feeling extra sleepy, you can skip boiling the chicken and use a rotisserie chicken and two boxes of chicken broth. It’s delicious, but it just feels more legit to me to boil the whole chicken. Again, a personal choice.
I almost forgot to mention that Aunt Susan adds a whole stick of butter after adding in the meat. I don’t, because I don’t want to feel that much guiltier, but Aunt Susan’s sure is good!
“Homemade” Chicken and Dumplings:
1 chicken (and water to cover)
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. black pepper
1 box chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package frozen dumplings, thawed
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 stick butter (optional)
Place chicken, salt, and pepper in a large pot and add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Simmer until done (approx. an hour). Once done, remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add broth and soup to pot and bring to a boil. Dip dumplings in flour, and add to pot, one at a time, stirring often. Boil dumplings for 25 minutes, stirring very often. Pull meat from chicken, and add to pot. Add butter, and stir.
