Rolled Chicken and Dumplings

 This is my version of my Mamaw Shaw's recipe for flat or rolled chicken and dumplings. She never wrote her recipe down, so her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren had to watch what she did in order to copy it. No one can make it quite as good as she did.  When company was over and she felt like there was not enough to go around, she'd poach eggs in the broth too. 

Being a woman who lived through the great depression, she never used milk or butter in her dumplings as this was too expensive. I don't miss the milk either. I once made them with milk after watching an Alton Brown special on Chicken and Dumplings, but it didn't taste any better than the ones I grew up making so I returned to my original recipe. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Serves 6 Calories 400 per serving

Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the broth

• 4 to 5 lbs of whole chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 7 to 9 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar optional
• Black pepper to taste

For the dumplings

• 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1  teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons of lard or shortening or chicken fat
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of hot water

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Sift the flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Mix the lard or shortening into the flour mixture with your fingers or a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. I use home rendered chicken fat but store-bought shortening is faster. Add the hot water and stir together, kneading a little bit until you have a pliable ball of dough, but do not overwork.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough, using a floured rolling pin, to a sheet about 1/16-inch thick, on a floured piece of waxed paper or parchment paper.
• Put the chicken thighs, water, and 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a pot to boil for about an hour. My Mamaw Shaw did not add vinegar to my knowledge. I add it because it is supposed to help extract more nutrients and enzymes from the chicken.
• Alternatively, put chicken thighs, water, vinegar, and salt in an 8-quart instant pot. Do not fill above the cooker's "maximum fill" line, or two-thirds full. Cover and lock the lid. Set timer to 25 minutes. You can use the quick-release according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the broth and set aside to cool. The meat should be tender and falling away from the bone. Once the thighs are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in small pieces, cover, and set aside. Throw away the skin and bones.
• Cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide strips, and drop into the boiling broth. When all the dough has been used, gently stir and submerge dumplings in broth. Cook the dumplings until they are cooked through, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom. Then add the meat and freshly ground black pepper. Turn off the heat or turn your instant pot to keep warm so the dumplings won't sink to the bottom and burn. Serve hot. Makes 6-8 servings.