It was always a special treat to have chicken & dumplings when we’d go visit Nana. This recipe is what Alton Brown would call “slickers” and I think it’s the way to go, but I’m not opposed to “floaters” either since that’s what my Granny made and they were great too but I don’t have that recipe. You will need a good bit of space on the counter to do this right, and be sure to flour the work space enough to prevent the dough from sticking or you’ll end up with a bit of a mess. You can speed this up using a pressure cooker, but the last time I made it was just on the stove and ended up with a great broth and dumplings that everyone really enjoyed.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 2 Tbsp Crisco shortening
• Water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cover chicken with water in large pot. Add a little salt to the water. Boil chicken until done and a nice broth has emerged.
2. Remove chicken from broth. Remove bones and skin. Shred chicken with forks and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, cut Crisco into the flour. Add small amounts of the broth until dough leaves sides of bowl.
4. Put waxed paper on counter. Add flour. Divide dough. Roll out on floured paper until pretty thin. Cut dough into strips (~2 in).
5. Return broth to a boil. Lay strips of dough into broth. Push down. Do this in layers until broth is a little thick.
6. Add chicken and pepper. Reduce heat and cook for another 20 minutes.
7. Serve in bowls.