Grandma Ratliffs Chicken Dumplings Recipes

Steps:

• Place the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add water, vinegar and salt (adding more water, if necessary, to cover chicken). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat nearly falls from the bones. Remove chicken from broth; allow to cool. Strain broth, discarding vegetables and seasonings. , Remove meat from bones; discard skin and bones. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces; set aside and keep warm. Set aside 1 cup broth; cool to lukewarm., To make dumplings, combine flour and salt. Make a well in flour; add egg. Gradually stir 1/4 cup reserved broth into egg, picking up flour as you go. Continue until flour is used up, adding additional broth as needed, and dough is consistency of pie dough. Pour any remaining reserved broth back into stockpot. , Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead in additional flour to make a stiff dough. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a 17-in. square. Cut into 1-in. square pieces. Dust with additional flour; let dry for 30-60 minutes. , Bring broth to a boil (you should have about 4 quarts). Drop dumplings into boiling broth. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until a until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (do not lift the cover while simmering), about 10 minutes. Uncover; add reserved chicken. Stir in pepper.

Steps:

• Place the chicken, water, bouillon, peppercorns and cloves in a stockpot. Cover and bring to a boil; skim foam. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Strain broth; return to stockpot. , Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and skin and cut chicken into chunks. Cool broth and skim off fat. , Return chicken to stockpot with soups, vegetables and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Uncover; increase heat to a gentle boil. Discard bay leaf., For dumplings, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in egg, butter and enough milk to make a moist stiff batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls into soup. Cover and cook without lifting the lid for 18-20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Steps:

• Take the skin from the chicken and put in a pan with 1/4 cup of water and render. Put the chicken in a pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Pull the chicken from the broth and let cool. When the skin has been rendered, strain and cool until the fat has solidified. Bring the broth that is left from cooking the chicken to a light boil and add the milk, oleo, pepper and salt. Whisk in the sifted flour until the broth has thickened. Dice the chicken and add to the white sauce and let simmer. Mix the baking powder, flour, chicken fat, milk and salt in a bowl and mix. Put out onto a floured surface and knead until completely blended. Roll out thin (1/2-inch) and cut into 1 to 2 inch squares. Add to the white sauce and chicken, do not stir until the dough is set (cooked), cover and let cook for 20 minutes before stirring. Check seasoning and serve.
• Combine flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a bowl. Drain the pickles. Heat the canola oil on medium high heat. Dip the pickles in buttermilk and coat with the flour/cornmeal mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer to paper napkins to drain. Season with salt and serve.
• Yield: 2 to 4 servings as a side.

Steps:

• For the chicken: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or large covered skillet.
• Add the chicken and brown for 2 minutes on each side.
• Stir in onion and celery, sauté for a few minutes, and add 3 cups of the water, bay leaf, bouillon, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
• Then remove the chicken and add the carrots, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
• While carrots are cooking, remove the chicken from the bones.
• Whisk together the 1/3 cup of flour and the remaining 1/2 cup water until smooth.
• Add flour/water mixture and chicken meat back to the pan, cover and continue to simmer.
• For the dumplings: Combine flour, baking powder, salt and parsley in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk, egg and oil.
• Stir quickly to make the batter.
• For each dumpling, spoon a rounded tbsp of batter into the simmering broth.
• Cover and simmer for another 13-15 minutes, but DO NOT STIR.
• Ladle servings into big bowls and eat up!