Chicken and dumplings is a favorite of many southern families. There are may different recipes for the dumplings. This is the recipe that my mother used which involves rolling the dough out into a thin rectangle, cutting into squares and dropping in the boiling broth. A pan of hot cornbread always accompanies the chicken and dumplings. Yum, yum…

Chicken and Dumplings

1 whole fryer chicken

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons shortening

1 egg

5 tablespoons water

1. Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with water, add some chopped onion and celery and bring to a boil. Simmer for approximately four hours. Remove the meat from the bones, strain the broth and return meat and broth to the pot. Add salt to taste.

2. Beat the egg slightly with the water.

3. Cut the shortening into the flour and then stir in salt, egg, water. Stir until the dough forms a ball.

3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is very thin and let dry for at least 30 minutes.

4. Cut the dried dough into squares.

5.Bring the chicken broth to a boil.  Drop the cut dumplings into the boiling broth.

6. Cook for approximately 15 minutes.