Granddad JC and Grandma Izzy have both said that not only did they eat chicken and dumplings often as they were growing up, but it was a staple at their family 4th of July celebrations when they were kids.
I learned to make chicken and dumplings from Mom (and she learned it from Grandma, and Grandma got it from Uncle Doug Connell, who got the recipe from his mother, Great-Grandma Laura! *source: Mom). I have modified the recipe to fit my own cooking techniques. If you want to see how I make it, go here. Below is the historical recipe as I know it:
Cook one whole chicken in enough water to cover the chicken. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and vegetables to taste (I don't know how Grandma Laura made it. I don't ever remember there being vegetables such as celery or carrots in the dumplings that Mom made).
Meanwhile, combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl*:
4 C all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2/3 C salad oil
1 C water
At the end, I generally have to finish blending the ingredients with my hands.
Flour a clean counter top, and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into 3/4 inch wide strips at whatever length you like your dumplings to be. I like mine about 4 - 5 inches long. I've found that pizza cutters are the quickest and easiest way to cut my dough.
When the chicken has finished cooking, take it out of the pot to cool. Bring the broth to a rolling boil. Add strips of dough to boiling water, stirring periodically. At this point, the food is prone to boiling over, so keep a close eye on the pot. I usually turn the heat down gradually as I add the dumplings to avoid that problem.
Keep the dumplings at a simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so the dumplings don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Meanwhile, de-bone the chicken and cut it into bite-size pieces and combine with dumplings in the pot. Add additional salt, pepper, and garlic to taste if desired. I like about 1/2 t of pepper and 1/4 t of garlic powder. Salt is just one of those things you have to taste for.
At this point, you just have to wait for the dumplings to cook. You can add flour to the broth if you want a thicker soup. The dumplings are done when they are soft and bend somewhat easily. I like to let them cook for at least 30 minutes, but I like them better when they've cooked longer than that, probably 45 minutes to an hour. This is a great dish to make ahead of time because it tastes better the longer the flavors have to combine.
Enjoy!
* if you want to make this dish even easier, you can buy frozen dumplings from some grocery stores, especially in the South. Don't use the refrigerated biscuit dough, though. It has sugar in it and tastes weird in this dish.
**if anyone reading this blog remembers better than I do what the dumplings were like or remembers any other details about them, please comment below!
EDIT:
Mom sent me an e-mail to let me know that she actually had changed her recipe and the above recipe is not Grandma Laura's recipe. Here's an excerpt from what she sent me:
If you use vegetables in the broth, take them out when you remove the chicken.
G'ma Izzy always used self-rising flour. She also used shortening and milk... sometimes buttermilk.
I changed the recipe for those who had milk allergies. I also doubled the recipe and used two chickens-- 12 hungry people meant no leftovers even then.
Eventually I started using this recipe:
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
water (Milk or buttermilk)
sift first two ingredients together. Add about 1/2 C water and stir. Form a ball and roll out on a floured, flat surface. Use a pizza wheel to cut noodles.
I add chicken bouillon to enhance the flavor. Or instead of water, I use chicken stock.
