my 1st chicken & dumplings with my very own bird

[AlecBGreen]

On the menu for tomorrow night:

Im looking to roast one of my tough old birds and make some chicken & dumplings. I dont have a family recipe or anything like that, I was just thinking of looking something up. Since I bow to the great accumulated knowledge of the C&B group I thought I would check here first for a recipe. Any suggestions?

Alec

p.s. the venison meatballs I made the other day with the Sriracha & grape jelly marinade were pretty good. Next time I need to thicken the sauce more and add a little salt at the end.

[hippywife]

1. Oh, no!

Buffy on the dinner menu! :cry:

I've never made chicken and dumplings. I just wanted to hassle you a bit. ;)

[AlecBGreen]

2. the first bird I killed was hard

but then I realized what another farmer friend told me some time later: These guys have a great life in the sunshine and fresh air then one bad day...

Im an omnivore so I'll eat meat, but Id rather I raised it and killed it then some factory farm. Dont get me started on THAT subject :puke:

How did you recognize it as a Buff?! Not many people know breeds of chickens! :toast:

[hippywife]

4. Ask anyone around here

factory farming is not a subject you want to get ME started on, either. Have you read Diet for A Dead Planet? Best book on all aspects of it I've ever read.

We have chickens, too. We don't eat them, just keep them for eggs. Right now we have three Buffs, four Black Jersey Giants, and one RIR cross of some kind.

:hi:

[AlecBGreen]

10. Thanks for the suggestion on the book

Im ordering it tomorrow :hi:

[Tab]

3. Can't help you on the dumpling part

Usually what I do with a chicken, if I want to roast it, is follow a great little technique Tom Colicchio laid out in one of his books.

Roughly, it goes like this:

First, wash the chicken and pat it dry. Rub it inside and out with kosher salt and pepper (the kosher salt is different because it's larger grained).

Stuff in some roasting herbs (rosemary & thyme). Use about half, save the rest for later - you'll want them.

I like my oven at 350, but it's a convection. If you don't have a convection, aim a little higher (375 or so). I usually let the chicken sit out to get to something close to room temperature so it cooks more evenly.

Get a heavy skillet and heat a little bit of peanut oil in it (until it shimmers). Do it on medium - you don't need to crank it.

Brown it on each side (5 mins, 7 minutes, something like that on the stovetop.

Colicchio likes to put his skillet in the oven, but my equipment's different, so I transfer the chicken to this glass oven pyrexy tray, breast side up.

Roast for about 20 minutes, then toss in a few pats of butter and the rest of the herbs. Baste occasionally. Pull it when it's around 155 or 160 or so (maybe another 20-30 minutes).

Let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute and that it finishes cooking (internal temperature will continue to rise) to get above 165.

Enjoy!

[grasswire]

5. a tough old bird needs simmering, not roasting

Cover with water, add some parsley, onion, a couple of carrots for flavor, salt, and a bouillon cube or two OR some chicken broth of some kind. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, and cook, cook, cook for quite a long time. That's the only way you are going to get a tough bird tender.

How could you do it, though?

[yellerpup]

6. Get ready for the best chicken & dumplings you ever tasted.

Tough old birds make the most flavorful broth. I'd skin it completely first--tough old chicken skin can be like a chicken wet suit--then stew it with celery, carrot, parsley, onion, garlic & thyme for a looooong time. Let the chicken cool off in the broth, then strain, add fresh mirepoix veggies and shredded chicken and you'll be ready to poach your dumplings. My mouth is watering as I think of the heavenly sauce that your beautiful old girl will make. The venison meatballs sound yummy, too. Sriracha ought to be a food group of its own. :hi:

[AlecBGreen]

8. lol

a chicken wet suit. you got that right! those babies get some thick skins dont they?

[Arkansas Granny]

7. If you are making chicken and dumplings you will need to simmer the bird

long and slow to get the broth you'll need to cook the dumplings. The older birds make the best tasting broth.

Cut the chicken up and place in a large pot with just enough water to cover. Season with salt and put in a couple of carrots, onion and a couple stalks of celery. I usually add bay leaf and a little poultry seasoning, too. I would also leave the skin on while cooking because it seems to add more flavor. After the chicken is fall off the bone tender, strain the broth and skim the fat and check for salt. Discard skin and bones and cut meat into bite sized pieces. also discard the veggies as they've given all their flavor to the broth. Bring the broth back to a boil and add vegetables if desired. I like to add diced carrots, sliced celery, peas and corn. Simmer until veggies are tender.

For dumplings I make a biscuit dough with a little extra milk to make a really soft dough and drop it by the spoonful into the simmering (not boiling) broth. I like to use a rounded teaspoonful and it makes a soft, fluffy dumpling. Partially cover pan and cook until dumplings are cooked through (5-10 minutes depending on size). Add chicken and simmer just long enough to heat through.

[AlecBGreen]

9. woohoo!

great recipe! Im trying it tomorrow Granny and Ill let you know how it turns out. Any suggestions on what sides to serve?

[hippywife]

11. So has Buffy already been dispatched?

Lots of people tend to process their chicken and throw it in the freezer for a few weeks coz it's kind of hard to eat it right away after the process. Bill says he could harvest one of them for us to eat, but I just don't think I could do it unless I absolutely had to. Luckily I have a local farmer that takes care of that kinda thing for me. :)

Enjoy the book. It's really not a large book, but it's pretty concise and yet comprehensive at the same time. Very eye opening with regard to American farm policy, too. :eyes:

[AlecBGreen]

12. he's in the pot as we speak

gonna cook him all night long... his brothers (they were an all-male group) were pretty tough so Im going to cook him nice and slow.

[Arkansas Granny]

13. I usually consider dhicken & dumplings as a one dish meal. I like to

make a nice pan of cornbread to go with it. Some sort of greens or baked squash would make a good side dish, too. Be sure to let us know how it turns out.

[pengillian101]

15. Perfect!

For dumplings I make a biscuit dough with a little extra milk to make a really soft dough and drop it by the spoonful into the simmering (not boiling) broth. I like to use a rounded teaspoonful and it makes a soft, fluffy dumpling. Partially cover pan and cook until dumplings are cooked through (5-10 minutes depending on size). Add chicken and simmer just long enough to heat through.

[Lorax]

16. Same

I do my dumplings the same way, a real wet biscuit dough dropped into the simmering broth. Lately I've been adding some Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (the powdered stuff) to the biscuit dough. I'm addicted to that stuff lately and I buy it in the big container from BJs. If not that, I try to but some buttermilk in that biscuit dough. Just my take on it.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. I would never have thought to add the dressing mix, but I'll have to try it now.

I have added a little poultry seasoning to my dry dumpling ingredients before and it makes them quite tasty.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Bambi .... omigawd, its Bambi

Kidding!!!!

Sorry!

The dumplings are the part with the most controversy. In the south, they're made like a very thick (1/4" or so) light pasta. I grew up with the being much more fluffy and bread-like.

[sazemisery]

18. My parents always made the fluffy ones but..

Mr.sazemisery's grandmother made the "slacks". A cross between pie dough and biscuits. Called slacks because they are cut in strips and look like pant legs.

[Arkansas Granny]

19. The first dumpling I ever ate was one I made myself after I had gotten married.

The recipe was the biscuit dough type and I've continued to make them that way. I've eaten the southern type dumplings since then and they are tasty, but I prefer the fluffy ones.

[Warpy]

22. That's the kind I make, laced with black pepper and parsley

and dropped into the broth using a mini ice cream scoop.

[hippywife]

20. ...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Warpy]

21. If she's a tough old stewing hen

then roasting her would be a mistake. Roasting is best for younger birds, about 3 to 5 months of age.

She needs to be stewed slowly. She can be turned into soup or chicken and dumplings, but she needs long, slow, moist cooking.

The way to decrease the time required is to use a pressure cooker.

[AlecBGreen]

23. Turned out G R E A T!!!

Thanks for all your suggestions!! :hi: :toast: :party: :bounce:

I boiled the bird overnight and through the day til it all came off the bone. A little salt was all I added. Dumplings were 2 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of milk, dash of salt, 4.5 tsp of baking powder, little parsley, ground black pepper & poultry seasoning. I had a problem with them breaking apart at first. I think the stock had cooled too much (a very low simmer) so I brought it back to a low boil and that did the trick. They tasted good but too much poultry seasoning. They were also a little "light" for my taste. I like thicker, gummier dumplings, the kind that really stick to your ribs. Next time Ill cut back on the milk and add a little flour.

DELICIOUS! I had two bowls for dinner and Im going back for thirds now :) Thanks everyone!

A big :hug: to ArkansasGranny

[AlecBGreen]

24. p.s.

the dumplings i had already cooked fell apart after i turned the stove off. *duh* I guess they have to be eaten right away.

[kestrel91316]

26. I have heard that you need to take the dumplings off the top right away or they WILL

fall apart. Can't leave them to soak in it.

[MagickMuffin]

25. You should try this recipe for the Dumplings

2 C Flour
1 T Baking Powder
2 t sugar
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/4 salt
1/2 C shortening, butter, or margarine (I use butter)
2/3 C milk

I used this in my food processor using the dough blade

Pulse all the dry ingredients together, add cold butter cut into small pieces, pulse until crumbly, add milk pulse until it forms a ball. Knead on flour board a few times roll dough out and cut into small pieces. Drop into simmering pot. I used a small biscuit cutter and ended up cutting them in half while they were cooking, because they will expand once in the pot.


I used this recipe a couple weeks ago and the dumplings came out just the way you described above. I hope this helps.

:hi: