KIMBERLY’S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
My mama appeared on my cooking show, Kimberly’s Simply Southern, the very first season it was on the air. She brought out the big old ceramic mixing bowl she always uses to mix up her biscuits and dumplings. It’s my grandmother’s and has been in our family for seventy-five years. I was so happy to be able to share a family tradition.
It was finally my turn to make the dumplings. While watching the show months after it was filmed, I saw that Mama made an imperceptible (to all but her daughter) shudder when I added chopped jalapeño to the chicken. She liked it, though, and while it wasn’t “her” chicken and dumplings, the torch had been passed. So it’s officially now “my” turn to make the chicken and dumplings . . . except when I go home to visit Mama. There’s no getting any better than the way she does ’em!
Makes 6 servings
4 BONE-IN, SKIN-ON CHICKEN BREAST HALVES
SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, FOR DREDGING
2 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL
1 MEDIUM ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
½ CUP FINELY CHOPPED CARROT
½ CUP FINELY CHOPPED CELERY
2 JALAPEÑOS, SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
¼ TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER
1 TABLESPOON FINELY CHOPPED FRESH THYME
6 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH
3 CUPS SELF-RISING FLOUR
3 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE SHORTENING
¾ TO 1 CUP COLD MILK
½ CUP HEAVY (WHIPPING) CREAM
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in all-purpose flour.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a platter.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery, jalapeños, cayenne, and thyme to the pot. Stir and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Return the browned chicken to the pot and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the dumpling dough. In a large bowl, mix the self-rising flour and shortening until crumbly, then add ¾ cup milk. Using your hands, knead the dough until it is firm and holds its shape. Add a bit more milk if it’s too dry. Knead it a few times to make it come together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
5. Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and let it cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin and bones and discard. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken, then put it back in the pot. Stir in the heavy cream.
6. On a floured surface (flour the rolling pin as well), roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut it into strips about 1 inch wide, then cut the strips into 2-inch pieces. Carefully drop the dumplings into the pot. Cover halfway with a lid and simmer until the dumplings are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
SOUTHERN SIMPLE: Make everything except the dumpling dough ahead of time and reheat the shredded chicken and stock while you make the dumplings.
An ongoing family tease for my mama began one Sunday at my home in Nashville when the whole family was together for Sunday dinner. We were all at the table anxiously awaiting Mama’s famous chicken and dumplings. We gathered hands, said the blessing, and began passing the dumplings around the table. Usually the next thing you hear is everybody going crazy with yummy noises—MMMmms and yummms. This time there was total silence until my always-honest brother-in-law Brian broke the silence with, “They’re scorched!” See, Mama always cooks her dumplings in her own special pot. This time she used one of mine because she was visiting. As we cooks know, it just isn’t the same feel. Seldom do we gather together for chicken and dumplings when someone doesn’t crack a joke about the day the never-go-wrong dumplings went terribly wrong.