Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings

Now sure, this may not look pretty.  But if you've ever had chicken and dumplings, it never is.  I tried this dish at the Cracker Barrel and thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  Where had this dish been all my life?  So I started doing my research and realized everyone has their own version.  The difference I repeatedly found was people saying "real" chicken and dumplings use crisco (vs. butter).  It's the secret ingredient!  I also read you can use chicken fat instead and it's healthier and even more flavorful.  You'll need to make the chicken a day ahead though so the fat hardens on top of the broth.  This tasted just like the Cracker Barrel's.  Yummmm-O!  Recipe off www.backtothecuttingboard.com.

Chicken:

• 1 large fryer chicken (4-5 lbs.), neck and gizzards removed
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
• 3 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Dumplings:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 4 1/2 tbsp. shortening
• 1 cup milk

Process

1. Place the chicken, onions, carrots, and celery in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water maintains a gentle simmer. Cook chicken for 1 hour or until cooked through (about 165 degrees). About 30 minutes after you start cooking the chicken you can skip to Step 4 and start making the dumplings or you can wait until the chicken is fully cooked.
2. Once chicken is done, remove from the broth and let cool. Remove chicken from the bone (this shouldn’t be hard, it should be falling off pretty easily at this point) and shred into medium-sized pieces, discarding bones and skin.
3. Pour the chicken broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth (I improvised and used a coffee filter), discarding vegetables. Reserve 6 cups of the broth for the dumplings. Refrigerate or freeze the rest to use in for another recipe. It’s much more flavorful than the chicken broth you buy at the grocery store.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles small peas.
5. Add milk — 1/4 cup at a time, you may not need a full cup — and stir until a ball of dough just begins to form, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Roll out the dough onto floured surface that you don’t mind cutting on. Roll about ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into rectangles about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Place strips on wax paper and allow to harden up a bit, about 30 minutes.
7. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat, bring broth to a gentle simmer and drop in dumplings. Cover and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to low and add chicken. Allow to cook until thickened, approximately 15-20 minutes, or longer. Season generously with salt and pepper.