Taste of the Past

Winter has officially arrived, and the cold weather is here for another three to four months. I am not a winter person, so I want to have something that is warm and comforting to eat on those cold and wind-chilling days. I can remember my mother making chicken and dumplings or slippery pot pie many times during the winter months. She would sometimes use ham instead of chicken. I don’t have her recipe, but I found this recipe, which is similar to hers. I hope you enjoy it.

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients

2 cups flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

3 cups cooked chicken

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons butter

2 quarts chicken broth

Directions

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter with a fork until crumbly.

Stir in milk until a soft dough forms a ball. Heavily flour a work surface and roll dough thin with a floured rolling pin.

Cut dough into roughly 2×2-inch squares using a pizza cutter or knife.

Lift dumplings with a floured spatula and place on a floured plate, dusting flour between layers.

Bring chicken broth to a boil and drop dumplings in one at a time, stirring gently as you go.

Simmer 15–20 minutes until dumplings are cooked through and no longer doughy.

Stir in cooked chicken and serve hot.

Tips: (1) Roll the dough thin for tender dumplings; thicker dough makes them chewier; (2) Leftovers thicken as they sit—add a splash of broth when reheating to loosen the texture.