Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 (about 1.8–2 kg) whole chicken, preferably a hen — older bird gives deeper broth
• 3 litres water
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch mixed herbs, bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems
• For the flat dumplings (Appalachian / Deep South style)
• 240 g plain flour
• 60 g shortening, or a mix of butter and shortening (Edna Lewis method)
• 120 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• For the drop dumplings (upper South style — alternative)
• 240 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 60 g shortening, rubbed in
• 180 ml whole milk, added to form a soft, spoonable dough

Method

1. 1
   Place the whole chicken in a large, heavy pot. Cover with the water. Add the celery, onion, carrot, and herbs. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, skimming the surface as needed. The dish is ready to proceed when the meat falls freely from the bone at the touch of a fork.
2. 2
   Lift the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, discarding the solids, and return it to the pot. The broth must be rich, full-bodied, and deeply savoury at this point — it must be a meal before the dumplings go in. Taste it now; this is the moment to correct the seasoning with salt.
3. 3
   When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and shred it into substantial pieces. Discard the skin and bones. Set the shredded meat aside.
4. 4
   For flat dumplings: combine the flour and salt, then rub in the shortening (or butter-shortening mixture, following Edna Lewis) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and mix until a firm dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 3–4 mm thickness. Cut into strips approximately 3 cm wide. For drop dumplings: whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Rub in the shortening. Stir in the milk until a soft, cohesive, spoonable dough just comes together — it should not be poured.
5. 5
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Bring the strained broth to a steady simmer — not a rolling boil. For flat dumplings, lay the strips into the simmering broth one at a time; for drop dumplings, spoon the dough in rounded portions directly from the spoon into the broth. Do not stir. Do not lift the lid if cooking drop dumplings — the trapped steam is essential to cook them through. Cook flat dumplings for 8–10 minutes; drop dumplings for 12–15 minutes. The dumplings are done when they are tender through their centre, and the broth has turned thick and slightly cloudy with released starch.
6. 6
   Return the shredded chicken to the pot and allow it to warm through in the broth for 2–3 minutes. The finished dish should sit between a soup and a stew — thick, starchy, and opaque. A clear broth with dumplings floating freely in it is not the correct result.