This recipe belonged to my great grandmother, Mama Reid. Because she enjoyed feeding a multitude of people, her family gathered their favorite recipes and printed a cookbook in her honor. It was presented to her on her 87th birthday, January 18, 1975. In 2009, the cookbook was reprinted for those who didn’t have a copy. If by chance you are interested in a copy, please contact me. They are $10.00 each. On to the recipe…
Boil chicken (whole or cut up) in plenty of salted water. Add a piece of bacon to the water. I usually add a stalk of celery, if I have it. If I don’t have celery, I add celery seed. Cook until chicken is tender, but not off the bone.
While the chicken is cooking, make the dumplings. (For the record, this is the original dumpling recipe doubled. We like lots of dumplings.)
4 c. self rising flour (or because I never have self rising, use 4 cups all purpose flour, 2 TBSP baking powder and 2 tsp salt)
1 cup (or more) flour, used to flour surface
1/2 cup shortening
2 tsp salt
Enough water to mix
Cut the shortening into the flour and salt mixture. Add water (about 1/4 cup at a time), mixing until it forms sticky ball of dough. Heavily flour your counter top. Add dough and roll it around in the flour. Roll out until about 1/2 inch thick (doesn’t have to be exact). Use table knife and cut into strips. Leave plenty of flour on the dumplings to thicken the broth while cooking.

Once chicken is cooked, pull it and add it to the broth. Bring broth with chicken to a rolling boil. Drop dumplings in, a couple at a time. Boil uncovered until dumplings go to the bottom of the pan. (Make sure your heat is just high enough to boil, but not any higher. Otherwise, dumplings will fall to the bottom and stick to the bottom of the pot.) DO NOT DARE STIR UNTIL DUMPLINGS ARE DONE! I use a spoon and push down the sides (see picture). That lets the dumplings on top get liquid to them, but DON’T STIR! It will turn to mush!!

Once dumplings have fallen from the top, it is ready. Serve and add pepper, to taste. And most of all….Enjoy.