Page 161 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2023

story and photo by Chelsea Gieselmann
One of my earliest culinary memories is standing on a stool in my great grandmother’s kitchen helping roll out dough for chicken and dumplings. Many don’t know that most Southern comfort foods, such as this dish, stem from moments in history like the Great Depression and other economic hardships. It’s strange how such detrimental times in history have been the cause of some of the most comforting dishes ever made.
Chicken and dumplings can be as complex or as simple as you’d like them to be. Some folks bust open a can of biscuits and some make dumplings homemade. Truly, there’s no right or wrong way to make this dish. Now as an elevated home-chef, I do have
my preferences when it comes to preparing this classic Southern comfort dish, so I’ve written up a fool proof, semi-easy recipe to make a big ole’ pot of comfort for yourself and your loved ones.
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
Broth
6-7 lbs bone-in leg quarters
2 large yellow onions (halved)
5 stalks of celery (halved)
4 large carrots (halved)
3 large bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
5 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄4 cup butter
All-purpose flour for thickening Water to cover
5 boiled eggs (peeled and diced)
Dumplings
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 tsp of baking powder
1⁄4 cup cold shortening or cold butter 1⁄4 cup chilled chicken broth
Salt to taste
1) In a large stock pot, add chicken and enough water to cover. High heat until it begins to boil then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Skim the fat off the top of the liquid.
2) Add vegetables, garlic, butter, and herbs to the pot and continue to simmer for an hour.
3) Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the vegetables and herbs from the broth, returning the broth back to the stock pot. Removing 1⁄4 cup of broth to chill for the dumplings.
4) Lower temperature to medium low heat, add in your milk, and slowly whisk in enough flour to thicken your broth to the consistency you desire.
5) In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
6) With your hands, mix in the cold butter. The mixture will be crumbly. 7) Slowly add in the chilled broth until the mixture is a dough consistency. 8) Put a little flour on a clean flat surface and roll out your dough to your
desired thickness then cut strips of dough out.
9) Bring your broth to a simmer and individually add the dumplings into the
stock pot.
10) Gently mix the dumplings into the broth. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the
dumplings are done. Occasionally stirring gently.
11) While the dumplings are simmering, pull the chicken meat from the bones
and shred.
12) Stir in the chicken and boiled eggs to the dumplings. Salt and pepper to taste. 13) Serve with a batch of fried cornbread or chicken cracklings.
Chelsea Gieselmann is a mom, photographer, columnist, food blogger, and home-cook. Cooking has been a passion of hers since she was old enough to cut out biscuits with the mouth of a mason jar. Her great-grandmother taught her the basics and she is ever so grateful to have been able to learn
from her. Since then, she has honed in her craft a great deal and continues to. Instagram: @Southrngritskitchen
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
September 2023 | 161