Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Across the United States, culinary geography defines two distinct styles of dumplings:

1. Rolled Flat Dumplings (Southern "Slickers" or Pastry Dumplings)

• The dough consists of flour, salt, leavening, fat (butter, shortening, or lard), and liquid.
• The dough is rolled thin on a heavily floured board and sliced with a knife or pizza wheel into rectangular squares or strips (roughly 1.5 inches wide by 3 inches long).
• Because these dumplings slide smoothly off the spoon and have a tender, pasta-like chew, rural Southerners affectionately call them "slickers" or "slicks."
• As the heavily floured dough strips simmer in the hot broth, the exterior flour dissolves into the soup, naturally thickening the broth into a rich, velvety gravy without requiring a roux or cornstarch slurry.

2. Drop Dumplings (Fluffy Biscuit Style)

• When covered with a tight lid, the leavening agent (baking powder) causes the batter to puff up dramatically through steam leavening.
• These emerge as round, cloud-like, spongy biscuit balls that float on top of the broth. While enjoyable, they lack the velvety gravy-thickening starch of true Southern rolled pastry slickers.

You cannot make transcendent chicken and dumplings with commercial boxed broth and rotisserie chicken breast. The soul of the dish lies in the broth:

1. Whole Chicken Collagen and Gelatin Extraction

• As the chicken simmers gently in cold water between 175°F and 190°F (79°C to 88°C) over 60 to 75 minutes, heat causes the triple-helix collagen molecules in the bones and joints to unravel and undergo hydrolysis, converting into soluble gelatin.
• When dissolved in the water, this gelatin imparts an unmistakable rich mouthfeel—a natural body and silkiness that coats the palate.

2. The Two-Stage Vegetable Strategy

• Vegetables simmered for over an hour exhaust their volatile aromatic compounds and collapse into gray mush.
• The proper technique uses a two-stage method: simmer the large aromatic trimmings (onion quarters, celery tops, garlic, bay leaves) with the whole chicken to build deep background flavor, then strain them out.
• Fresh, neatly sliced carrots and celery are added later with the picked chicken meat and dumplings, ensuring sweet, tender-crisp vegetable bites in the finished bowl.

The texture of a rolled dumpling hinges on controlling gluten formation and fat dispersion:

1. The Fat (Butter or Lard): Working cold butter or lard into the flour coats the flour proteins (gliadin and glutenin) with a microscopic lipid layer. This "shortens" the gluten strands, ensuring the cooked dumplings are tender rather than rubbery.
2. The Liquid (Warm Broth): Using warm, freshly skimmed chicken broth directly from the simmering pot to hydrate the dough melts the butter slightly, creating a supple, pliable dough that rolls out easily without snapping back.
3. The Counter Air-Dry Ritual: After rolling the dough paper-thin (about 1/8 inch thick) and cutting it into strips, leave the dumplings undisturbed on the floured counter for 15 to 20 minutes. Allowing ambient air to dry the surface creates a thin, starch-dense skin that prevents the dumplings from dissolving or disintegrating when dropped into bubbling liquid.

Follow these steps for authentic Southern rolled chicken and dumplings:

Step 1: Simmer the Whole Chicken Stock

Add 2 quartered yellow onions, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk (with leafy tops), 5 smashed garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 parsley sprigs, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As foam and impurities rise to the surface during the first 10 minutes, skim them off with a wide spoon and discard. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially with the lid, and simmer gently for 55 to 65 minutes, until the chicken meat is tender and easily separates from the bone.

Step 2: Strain the Broth and Shred the Meat

Pour the contents of the pot through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large heatproof bowl. Press gently on the spent vegetables and aromatics to extract remaining liquid, then discard the solids. Skim excess clear yellow fat from the top of the strained broth, reserving 2 tablespoons of this flavorful chicken fat. You should have roughly 7 to 8 cups of rich, golden broth.

Return the strained broth to the Dutch oven and place over low heat.

Step 3: Mix the Rolled Dumpling Dough

Add 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes) or shortening. Use a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingertips to work the fat into the dry flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in 3/4 cup of warm chicken broth (ladled directly from the pot) or whole milk. Stir with a wooden spoon just until a shaggy, cohesive dough comes together. If the dough feels too dry, add an extra tablespoon of warm broth. Do not over-knead.

Step 4: Roll, Cut, and Rest the Dumplings

Roll the dough out firmly from the center toward the edges until it is roughly 1/8-inch thick (uniform thickness is key so all dumplings cook at an identical rate).

Using a sharp chef's knife or a pizza cutting wheel, slice the rolled dough into long strips roughly 1 1/2 inches wide. Then crosscut the strips every 2 1/2 to 3 inches to form rectangular dumplings. Dust the cut dumplings generously with extra flour so they do not stick together.

Let the cut dumplings rest undisturbed on the floured counter for 15 to 20 minutes to air-dry and set their exterior surface.

Step 5: Build the Stew Base

Add 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced stalks of celery, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried poultry seasoning (or rubbed sage). Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Step 6: Drop and Simmer the Dumplings

Pick up the dried dumpling strips one at a time, gently shaking off excess loose flour (retain the flour coating that clings to the surface), and drop them directly into the simmering broth across different areas of the pot.

Do not stir with a spoon, as stirring will tear the delicate, uncooked dough. Instead, use the back of a large metal spoon to press down gently on the dumplings, submerging them beneath the liquid.

Once all dumplings are dropped into the pot, reduce the heat to low. Cover the Dutch oven tightly with its heavy lid. Simmer covered undisturbed for 15 to 18 minutes. The trapped steam cooks the dumplings through to a pillowy, tender chew, while the flour dissolves to thicken the broth into a velvety gravy.

Step 7: Fold in the Chicken and Finish

Simmer uncovered over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the chicken is heated through and the gravy has reached a rich, creamy consistency. Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning with additional kosher salt and coarse black pepper.

Step 8: Garnish and Serve

Do Not Skim Off Every Drop of Fat: Yellow chicken fat (schmaltz*) carries aroma and culinary richness. Leaving a light sheen of chicken fat on the broth enhances flavor and mouthfeel.

• Never Use a Rolling Boil for Dumplings: A violent rolling boil creates turbulent physical waves that tear the tender dumplings apart into shredded slurry. Keep the burner on a gentle, bubbling simmer.
• Flour on the Counter is Your Thickener: Do not dust your counter lightly. Generous flour on the board clings to the cut dough and acts as the built-in thickening agent for the stew.

Chicken and dumplings thickens significantly as it cools, because the starch in the dumplings continues to absorb free liquid:

Refrigerator Storage

Stovetop Reheating (Best)

Freezing Advice

The choice of flour directly affects whether your dumplings turn out velvety or tough:

1. Soft Winter Wheat vs. Hard Spring Wheat

• Southern Bleached/Unbleached Soft Wheat Flour (White Lily Style): Traditional Southern bakers swear by soft winter wheat flours. These flours contain between 8% and 9% protein, compared to 11% to 12% protein in standard national all-purpose flours. The lower protein content limits gluten development when the dough is rolled out, producing dumplings with a silky, delicate, melt-in-the-mouth chew.
• Standard All-Purpose Flour: If using national brand all-purpose flour, avoid overworking the dough. Roll it out gently and let it rest so the gluten fibers relax before hitting the hot broth.

2. The Leavening Debate: Flat Pastry vs. Light Puffed Strips

• Traditional farm-style "slickers" frequently omit baking powder entirely, relying only on flour, salt, fat, and broth. This yields an ultra-dense, chewy, noodle-like ribbon that holds up to vigorous simmering.
• Adding a conservative 1 teaspoon of baking powder (as in this recipe) introduces micro-bubbles of carbon dioxide gas during the simmer. This lightens the dumpling slightly without turning it into a puffy drop biscuit, achieving the ideal balance of chew and tenderness.

1. The Dumplings Disintegrated into Muddy Slurry

• The Cause: The dough was either rolled too thin, dropped into a violent rolling boil, or stirred aggressively with a spoon.
• The Solution: Keep the rolled dough at a solid 1/8-inch thickness. Let the cut dumplings rest on the floured counter for 15 minutes to form a protective dry skin. Keep the broth at a low, gentle simmer and never stir with a spoon—use the flat back of a spoon to gently submerge them.

2. The Stew is Thin and Watery Like Soup

• The Cause: Excess flour was shaken off the dumplings before dropping them into the pot, or the stew was not allowed to simmer covered for the full 15 minutes.
• The Solution: The loose flour clinging to the dumplings is the thickening agent. Allow that flour to dissolve into the simmering broth, and ensure the lid stays on so trapped steam gelatinizes the starches completely.

3. The Dumplings Are Gummy and Doughy in the Center

• The Cause: Dumplings were rolled too thick (over 1/4 inch) or the pot was removed from heat before the starches cooked through.
• The Solution: Roll the dough evenly to 1/8 inch. Cook covered on low heat for at least 15 to 18 minutes; test one dumpling by cutting it in half—it should look uniform in color throughout without a pasty, white core.

Per serving (serving size: 1 generous bowl with chicken, vegetables, and dumplings, recipe makes 6 hearty servings):