This is an easy step-by-step recipe to make the Southern Classic Chicken and Pastry, also known as Southern Chicken and Dumplings.
Chicken and Pastry is one of South's most beloved classic dish. Follow these steps to make some delicious Southern Cooking.
Easy Chicken and Pastry Recipe
Chicken and Pastry
When I first met my husband I could barely cook. He would get so excited when his Great Aunts would come to visit bringing amazing platters ofEleven Layered Cake, Home Made Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, Field Peas, and his favorite…. Chicken and Pastry. I knew if I wanted to win this man's heart, I better learn how to make these dishes!!!
Aunt Molly
So I asked one of his sweet Aunts to teach me how to do some of this Southern Cooking. His Aunt Molly was happy to share. I started with the Chicken and Pastry. I would cook hours and hours in the kitchen making pastry from scratch just like Aunt Molly did. I would makequite a mess…. Flour everywhere…. But my husband was so happy when I made it. That made me happy. Soon his friends beganrequesting me to make it…. but it was so much work, I would only make it on special occasions. Until……
Chicken and Dumplings Easy
One day a family memberbrought over Chicken and Pastry to a family gathering. Everyone was devouring it. Someone slipped up and told me the hidden secret. They used Anne's Old Fashioned Flat Dumplings. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the homemade version of the pastry or Anne's!!! I was shocked. All those hours and all that mess… And there was an easy frozen version??? Honestly, you cannot tell it is not homemade… So why not? I have been using Anne's Dumplings ever since. If I wasn't an honest person, I would tell everyone I made the pastry and no one would know…. but I couldn't live with myself if I did. So I thought I would share my little secret with you!
Anne's Old Fashioned Flat Dumplings
They come in this box in the freezer section.They cook just LOVELY!
I take celery, onion, and carrots and throw them in a food processor until they are finely cut. Then I sauté them until they are fully cooked.
Next I add the cooked carrots, onions, celery, seasonings, and a whole chicken to a large stock pot filling it with water. I cook the chicken in the pot until completelydone.
I take out the chicken and save the broth. I take off all the meat and save it for the pastry. I boil 3 eggs…. This is what makes Molly's version extra special… she adds hard boiled eggs…. Umm, umm, good!
Next, I bring the broth to a boil adding pastry one by one. I like my pastry thick, so I add the whole box… Pastry goes fast in my household… You have to make all you can make…
Next you add in the chicken.
Then you chop up the boiled eggs and add them in next.
Easy Chicken and Pastry Recipe
Talk about some Good Ol' Southern Soul Food!!!!
Easy Chicken and Pastry Recipe
Don't you want a bite?
Easy Chicken and Pastry Recipe
Writing this post is making me hungry all over again!!!
Aunt Molly recently passed away. She is truly missed. Besides my grandmother, she was the foundation to my love for cooking. She cooked with love… And you felt loved when you ate her food. I try to do the same. There is something very satisfying making something with your hands, sharing it, and watching someone else delight in it. I am not half the cook she was, but maybe I will be someday.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out: French Onion Chicken Casserole, Granny Moore's Dressing, and How to CookField Peas.
Recipe
Easy Chicken and Pastry Recipe- Southern Chicken and Dumplings
This is an easy step-by-step recipe to make the Southern Classic Chicken and Pastry, also known as Southern Chicken and Dumplings.
A variant known as "chicken and pastry" or simply "chicken pastry" features wide, flat noodles rolled from biscuit dough. Where such a distinction is made, it is sometimes considered a different dish from "chicken and dumplings", which is known for small balls of dough rather than flat strips.
Thyme or tarragon is good to season, with some lemon juice. The dumplings can take a spoon each of this liquor when you're making them, and you can mix in some zest too if you like. Also, people tend to discard the chicken fat, but it would make the dumplings a bit juicier if you add some.
How can I thicken stove top chicken and dumplings? You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency.
If it's boiling too hard, the dumpling dough can fall apart. Simmering broth might not be hot enough to raise the dumpling dough. Remove or tilt the lid after they've cooked so the dumplings don't over-steam and get soggy and dense. At least, that's the way I was taught and dumplings come out fluffy and delicious.
There's a simple trick to help you tell when your dumplings are ready – all you'll need is a toothpick. Stick your toothpick through a dumpling and pull it straight out.If the toothpick comes out clean, they're ready to eat.
What is the difference between Southern and Northern chicken and dumplings? Old-fashioned Southern chicken dumplings are made with shortening or butter and dropped into a simmering broth.Northern dumplings are made with eggs and served with a thinner broth.
If you don't have broth on hand and want a little more flavor than just plain water, try subbing in 1 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon of butter for every cup of chicken broth in your recipe. The butter will help create a richer flavor than just water alone.
Keep the heat low and keep your pot covered so that they steam. The dumplings can cook longer than the suggested times without issues, but agitating them with an aggressive simmer will make them fall apart.
A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
First, mix the dumpling ingredients just until the dough comes together. You'll whisk together the dry ingredients, then add melted butter and heavy cream. Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour.
Slowly add the hot chicken broth, stirring constantly, and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Adjust the heat to maintain a slow simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
First use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, cut in the butter and stir in the milk just until there are no patches of dry flour. It's okay if the dough looks a little lumpy. Mixing the dough more than this is called overworking and will result in tough dumplings.
(Note that the dumplings will easily double in size as they cook.) Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover and peek while the dumplings are cooking! In order for the dumplings to be light and fluffy, they must steam, not boil.
Why do my dumplings get gummy? The best dumplings are tender and soft, easy to eat with just a spoon. If your dumplings instead turn tough or gummy, the most likely culprit is overworked dough.
Carefully place the dumplings into the boiling water and boil for 20-25 minutes until they start to float. (You can boil in two batches depending on the size of your pan.) Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them on a plate. Serve hot with your preferred stew or veggies.
Dumplings may be prepared using a variety of methods, including baking, boiling, frying, simmering or steaming and are found in many world cuisines. Some definitions rule out baking and frying in order to exclude items like fritters and other pastries that are generally not regarded as dumplings by most individuals.
American dumplings may be of the filled pastry type (which are usually baked), or they may be little pieces of dough added to a savoury or sweet dish, in which case they are usually boiled. Baked sweet dumplings are a popular dessert in American cuisine.
Dumplings are either boiled, steamed, or fried, but there's a couple of different ways to further differentiate these techniques: Boiled dumplings can be cooked in water or directly in the soup or stew in which they will be served.
Pasties, the smaller one is filled with Japanese curry glazed vegetables. I have said it before, (and here) the Cornish Pasty counts as a form of dumpling.
Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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