Dumplings!

Cooking recently has become a bit of a challenge to me.  I'm on the lookout for new items to try and trying to start cooking from scratch instead of from a box.  With a little extra planning to begin with and some careful timing, it can be done!  One thing I have been wanting to try is Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings.  We are talking the Old Fashioned Dumplings like Cracker Barrel makes! YUM!  Boy do I love Pinterest!  So addicting and makes it so much easier to find things I like after I have it on my boards.  

This Dumplings recipe could not be any easier.  

3 cups Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Salt

4 1/2 tsp Shortening (NOT butter - use old fashioned, fatty Shortening like Grandma did!)

1 c Milk

6-8 cups of chicken stock

4 chicken breasts - cooked and shredded or cut into chunks

Mix your Flour, Soda, and Salt together.  Cut in your Shortening using a pastry blender or your fingertips.  Pour milk in by 1/4 cup until a soft dough ball forms. You may not need all of the milk so stir it in as you go.  The few times I have made the dumplings, I have used every last bit of milk.  When it begins to form into a ball, stop mixing.  Place on a floured surface and roll out the dough. 

At this point, it would be a good time to begin heating up your chicken stock (or broth, your preference).  

After you roll out the dough, using a pastry cutter (I just used a plain wheel, not fluted), pizza cutter, or knife and cut it into strips horizontally and vertically.  This is so easy, Jacob (who is 4 1/2) was able to do it - and quite well too!

The recipe I used said to cut the strips by about 1x3 inches.  I found these were too big for us the first time and cut it down to 1x2 the second time.  Much easier! 

After the strips are cut (they don't have to be perfect or pretty as you can see), place them on wax paper (or parchment) to dry for about 30 minutes.  By this time, your broth should be heated nicely and you can drop the dumplings in. I dropped them in a few at a time, but constantly, so they would not stick.  Cook for 6-8 minutes and then turn heat to low and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  Once you place the burner on simmer, it is a good time to add the chicken in.  Make sure you stir a few times in between so the dumplings cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper (although we just used pepper).

SO AMAZING!  I was so excited about how they turned out, I forgot to snap a finished product picture!  They were so tasty and we gobbled them right up!