Description
Cracker Barrel homemade chicken & dumplings combine Southern comfort with hearty home cooking. Tender chicken and pillowy dumplings create a nostalgic meal that warms souls and satisfies hunger with classic American hospitality.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs or 1.8 kg) or 4-6 chicken thighs
- 8 cups (2 L) water
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsps (60 g) unsalted butter (for soup base)
- 3 tbsps (45 g) unsalted butter (for dumplings), cold and cubed
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour (for soup base)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (optional)
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt (for dumplings)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Poaching Preparation: Submerge whole chicken in a large pot filled with water, onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, and salt, creating a deeply flavored cooking base.
- Chicken Cooking: Bring liquid to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, allowing chicken to cook slowly and tenderly for approximately 90 minutes until meat becomes remarkably soft and easily separable.
- Chicken Breakdown: Remove chicken from broth, cool slightly, then methodically shred meat into delicate pieces, discarding skin and bones while preserving the delectable protein.
- Broth Refinement: Strain the aromatic liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, removing vegetable fragments and ensuring a clear, rich cooking foundation for the dumplings.
- Dumpling Preparation: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening in a mixing bowl, gradually incorporating milk to form a soft, pliable dough that will transform into pillowy dumplings.
- Dumpling Shaping: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, cutting into rectangular strips that will gracefully float and expand within the golden broth.
- Final Assembly: Return shredded chicken to the strained broth, gently introduce dumpling strips, and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until dumplings become perfectly tender and fully cooked.
Notes
- Select Right Chicken: Choose a fresh, plump whole chicken for maximum flavor and tender meat, preferably organic or free-range for richer taste.
- Control Simmering Temperature: Keep liquid at a gentle, consistent low heat to prevent tough chicken and ensure meat remains incredibly moist and delicate.
- Strain Broth Carefully: Use a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth to remove all solid particles, creating a crystal-clear, pure golden broth that enhances overall dish quality.
- Shred Chicken Strategically: Allow chicken to cool completely before hand-pulling meat into uniform, bite-sized pieces to maintain perfect texture and prevent stringy, uneven shredding.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1.5 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 495
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg