Directions: |
Directions:To prepare the stock, quarter the chicken & place it into a tall stockpot. Cover with water, plus an extra inch; add the celery, carrot, onion, parsley, pepper & salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer uncovered, at a low simmer for 1 hour. Do not boil. Remove chicken & pull meat into large chunks when cool. You'll want about 4 cups of pulled chicken. Strain stock into a container, discarding the skin, bones & vegetables. Skim off as much fat from the top of the stock as you can; reserve two quarts plus 1 cup & refrigerate or freeze remaining stock for another use.
For the dumplings, whisk together the flour, Tony's, garlic granules, salt and pepper. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter to form pebbles; add only enough buttermilk so that dough comes together & pulls away from the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface & knead 4 or 5 times, sprinkling the top with additional flour as needed,until dough is smooth & no longer sticky. Separate into two dough balls; set one aside.
Roll one ball of the pastry dough very thin, to about 1/8 inch; cut into long strips 1 ½ inch wide. Sprinkle top of dumplings with additional flour. Let rest.
Meanwhile, for the stew, melt the butter in a large pot, stir in the flour, cook over low heat for 1 minute, or until smooth, stirring constantly. Slowly incorporate the broth or milk, a little at a time, & cook over medium heat until you have a gravy. Begin adding the 2 qts. chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil & stir in the chicken base if it needs more flavor. Taste, add the salt, pepper and garlic granules.
Gather the long strips of dumplings near the stew. Break into 4 inch lengths & drop dumplings into the bubbling broth. Bring broth back up to a low boil, cover and cook over medium low for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out and cut the remaining ball of dough. Drop the next set of dumplings, gently stir and continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, another 10 to 15 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through & tender. When dumplings are tender, add the reserved chicken, gently stir, and cook just until chicken is warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Prep time: 25 min |Cook time: 1 hour 30 min Serves: 4-6 |
This recipe for Mamaw's Chicken & Dumplings is from