Chicken 'n Dumplins
copyright 2001 by Michelle Jones

When I wrote this recipe it was late at night and I was being silly, and I had just made the recipe almost exactly the way I describe it here!

1 whole chicken
water
1 chicken bouillon cube
"Dumplings" noodles
leftover carrots, celery, onion
salt and pepper
½ cup flour
  1. Throw a chicken bouillon cube into a large pot of boiling water, while rinsing a whole chicken in the sink, being sure to get all the yucky stuff out.
  2. If you have any celery, carrots and onions, you can throw them in the pot too.
  3. Next, dump the chicken in the boiling water, trying not to make too big of a splash. Wait till the water starts boiling again, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until you remember to come back to it.
  4. Now fix the baby a bottle of milk, fold the laundry, and vacuum the living room.
  5. When you make it back to the kitchen, lift the cooked chicken out of the water with a set of tongs if you have them, if not, run to neighbors house and borrow some. Make sure the natural juices from the inside of the chicken are running clear, if they are not, put that thing back in the water!
  6. Next, remove top layer of fat from the broth. You're on your own with this one. Just kidding! If you haven't invested in an inexpensive gravy/fat separator, I highly recommend getting one soon. It's a little measuring cup like container with a spout that allows the fat to rise to the top, while you can reserve the healthy broth on the bottom. It is absolutely, one of the greatest inventions for the southern cook.
  7. Okay, now get husband to skin and debone chicken while you remove all those gross squishy veggies from the broth! Place all these unwanted items, in a plastic grocery bag before placing it in your trashcan. This is so that when you wake up the next morning, the trashcan is still at peace with itself, and has not affected the rest of the house.
  8. Next, empty a bag of "dumplings" pasta into the hot broth, return to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. You can make the dumplings from scratch if you'd like, but be sure to invite me over for dinner if you do!
  9. While noodles are boiling and husband is hopefully watching the kids instead of the TV, tear the chicken into bite size pieces. By the time you're done with this, the noodles should be ready.
  10. Add the chicken pieces to the broth and noodles. This might be a good time to add some salt and pepper, if you so desire to.
  11. Now comes the part you do not want to mess up. Mix a cup of cold water into a half cup of flour, stirring until smooth. Absolutely, do not use hot water. Absolutely, do not throw that flour directly into the pot, no matter how rushed you may be. If you do, you will have little globs of flour in your broth, and there will be no way to fix it. Good luck, I know you can do this!
  12. Last but not least, bring the temperature back up, but just long enough to thicken the broth. Keeping in mind, that this huge pot of chicken and dumplings will be twice as thick when you serve it for leftovers tomorrow. Yum!
  13. At a cost of under $5.00, this meal can serve 10 people or more. This is also a great dish to share with a sick neighbor. It's easy on their stomach and easy on your budget too.