Chicken And Cracker Dumplings Czech Recipes

BETTER THAN CRACKER BARREL® CHICKEN 'N DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place chicken and 1 pinch salt in a large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum off the surface with a slotted spoon. Add lemon, celery, onion, and carrots. Simmer broth over medium heat until chicken starts to fall off the bone, about 1 hour.
• Discard lemon. Remove chicken from the pot; let cool.
• Place flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Ladle in 2 to 3 scoops of hot broth. Mix in flour with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead carefully until smooth. Roll out into a large rectangle; cut into small rectangular dumplings.
• Drop dumplings one at a time into the simmering broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Bone chicken and chop into pieces. Add to the pot; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

CRACKER BARREL CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Boil 3 quarts water in a large pot.
• Add chicken, 1 t salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and parsley and simmer for 2 hours.
• The liquid will reduce by 1/3.
• When chicken is cooked, remove it and set aside.
• Strain stock and throw away everything but the stock.
• Put 6 cups of the stock back into the pot. (Leftover stock can be frozen.)
• Add the pepper, 1/2 t salt and lemon juice and reheat while you mix dumplings.
• For dumplings, mix flour, baking powder, 1-1/4 t salt and milk in a medium bowl.
• Stir until smooth, then let dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
• Roll dough onto a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thickness. (Handle the dough as little as possible for good dumplings).
• Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares (I use a pizza cutter) and drop each square into the simmering stock.
• Use all of the dough.
• The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy.
• Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until thick.
• Stir often.
• While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have cooled.
• Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
• Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and drop them into the pot.
• Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, but stir carefully so you don't break the chicken up.
• When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.
• (Very good over mashed potatoes.).

THE BEST CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan., Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until blended. Gradually add stock, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear., For dumplings, in a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside., Remove chicken from stockpot; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Cook, covered, on high until mixture reaches a simmer., Drop dumplings on top of simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Gently stir in cream, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

CHICKEN AND CRACKER DUMPLINGS (CZECH)

Steps:

• Brown chicken parts in small amount of butter or oil in deep skillet.
• Add sliced celery, carrot and onion. Pour chicken broth over to barely cover chicken pieces.
• Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 35 to 45 minutes).
• While chicken is cooking, make dumplings (see instructions below).
• Remove chicken when cooked and tent with foil.
• Pour off broth and vegetables from skillet into blender or food processor, pulse until smooth.
• Return broth to skillet. Add parsley, mace, and evaporated milk. Bring to boil.
• Add dumplings and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Taste broth and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• HINT: if you would like your sauce a bit thicker, finely crush 5-6 saltine crackers and stir into the broth.
• Add chicken back in to warm through. Cover and keep warm until serving.
• DUMPLINGS:.
• To make in food processor:.
• Whisk together melted 1 tablespoons butter, 3 eggs and 1/4 Cup milk.
• Using the dough blade for your food processor, finely chop crackers with the parsley and garlic powder in processor.
• Add liquid to crackers with processor running until all ingredients come together in a dough like mixture (don't overprocess, just process until it comes together).
• Form into small balls about size of unshelled walnuts, add to broth as directed above.
• To make W/O food processor:.
• Finely crush crackers with rolling pin, add to bowl with garlic powder and finely chopped parsley.
• Whisk together melted butter, eggs and milk.
• Add to crackers, mix well, and form into balls about size of unshelled walnuts. Add to broth as directed above.