Chicken N Dumplings Cracker Barrel Style Recipes

CRACKER BARREL HOMEMADE CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Heavily flour a work surface. You'll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I like to use a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface. Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 2x2-inches each. It's okay for them not to be exact. Just eye ball it. Some will be bigger, some smaller, and some might be shaped funny. Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings. To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they don't taste doughy. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and serve.

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.

CHICKEN 'N' DUMPLINGS -- CRACKER BARREL STYLE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
• Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and parsley to the pot.
• Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours.
• The liquid will reduce by about one third.
• When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside.
• Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum.
• You want only the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.
• Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe - it can be frozen).
• Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tablespoon of lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the Dumplings.
• For the Dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and milk in a medium bowl.
• Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5 to 20 minutes.
• Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into 1/2-inch squares 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 become cool enough to handle.
• Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
• Cut the chicken neatly into bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot.
• Discard the skin and bones.
• Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5 to 10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart.
• You want big chunks of chicken in the end.
• When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.
• Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.

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.).