Chicken 'n' Dumplings -- Cracker Barrel Style
"I haven't tried this yet, but these are supposed to be the same as the Cracker Barrel meal which I LOVE. It's just chicken and dumplings and creamy white gravy at the end. I got this off of the Post-Gazette website. They noted that they found that they needed about 3/4 cup more flour than the recipe called for. They added 1/4 cup of flour at a time to get the dough to rolling consistency and added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder."
- Ready In:
- 3hrs
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
-
Chicken and broth
- 3 quarts water
- 1 (3 -4 lb) chicken, cut up
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 -6 whole fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
-
Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, see note
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, see note
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons milk
directions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and parsley to the pot.
- Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours.
- The liquid will reduce by about one third.
- When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside.
- Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum.
- You want only the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.
- Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe - it can be frozen).
- Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tablespoon of lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the Dumplings.
- For the Dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and milk in a medium bowl.
- Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5 to 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into 1/2-inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock.
- Use all of the dough.
- The Dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy.
- Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until thick. Stir often.
- While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle.
- Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
- Cut the chicken neatly into bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot.
- Discard the skin and bones.
- Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5 to 10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart.
- You want big chunks of chicken in the end.
- When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.
- Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.
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Reviews
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I just made this for the family today. First time EVER making dumplings and it couldn't be easier. I had 2 leftover rotisseire chickens from Sunday dinner so I threw them in a pot with a quartered onion, let simmer for 30 minutes and pulled the meat from the bones. I strained the broth (added chicken base to flavor) and placed the chicken back in the broth. The dough is super sticky, so I cut back 2 Tbl. of milk and added 2 Tbl. of flour, threw it all in the processor and dumped it on a well floured counter. My 3 teens loved it and my daughter said it tasted better than CRACKER BARREL. This is a keeper! -
Absolutely yummy! I did take Pittsburgh68's advice on the dumplings by adding 2 Tablespoons Flour and did not add the last 2 Tablespoons of Milk called for in the original recipe. The dumplings were perfect. I can't wait to have my extended family over to have this dish! -
I've made this recipe several times over the past year and just realized that I've never rated it. It's delicious! I use two packages of chicken tenderloin. (I probably get about 10 pieces or so.) I've added rosemary sprigs to the broth in the past. And sometimes I use a mixture of stock and water for the broth, especially since I don't use bone-in chicken. The consistency of the broth really thickens up well when you add the dumplings. I don't always roll out the dough...sometimes I "quasi" roll it out, and then just spoon chunks into the broth. This recipe really is yummy!
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I made this last night and it turned out great. Chicken 'n' Dumplings is one of my favorite meals from my childhood and this recipe did not disapoint. I did not want to go through the trouble of rolling out the dough so I just droped it in by the spoonfuls. Because of that I did not need the extra flour or baking powder. I also did not cook mine as long as the recipe calls for because I perfer it just a little soupy (if that is a word). Will definently use again. Thanks!! -
This is from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur: topsecretrecipes.com
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