SouthernAngel's Dumpling Recipes

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Dumpling Recipes &
Deep Dumplin' Thoughts

Angel's Non-Regional Chicken 'n Dumplings

These aren't Northern dumplings, which are dropped into the soup, and they aren't quite Southern dumplings that are rolled out and cut into strips. By neither dropping nor rolling my dumpling dough, I've created non-regional chicken and dumplings!

3 chicken breasts, skin & bones on (this gives you more white meat than if you stewed a whole chicken)
1 carrot cut half way then in thirds
2 stalks of celery cut the same way as the carrot
1 medium onion, quartered
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
6 drops Tabasco sauce (you can't taste this and it doesn't make it hot, I promise, it just adds some yumminess to the flavor)
1/2 stick of real butter (you can leave this out, it just makes the broth richer)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of condensed chicken broth (you know, the kind of chicken broth you have to add water)
Water
2 cups Bisquick(tm)
2/3 cup milk

Put the chicken breasts, carrot, celery, onion, peppercorns, salt, garlic bay leaf, and six drops of Tabasco in a large sauce pan/Dutch oven, and then add water, enough to cover.

Simmer a couple of hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken breasts to a plate and strain the broth twice;discard vegetables. Pour broth back into your big pot/Dutch oven, then de-bone that tender chicken and reserve it on the side while you make dumplings.

To the broth, add a half a stick real butter, cream of chicken soup, condensed chicken broth, plus one can of water. Taste and re-season broth (if it needs it) with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up and bring chicken broth to a rolling simmer.

While your broth heats up, mix together Bisquick and half of the milk in a smallish bowl (this sure does use a lot of dishes, eh?). Stir Bisquick mixture and add milk until a soft dough is formed. Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a 1 to 1.5-inch ball shape. As soon as the broth is at a low soft boil drop in about 5-6 dough balls and put on the lid. (If the liquid is at a big fat rolling boil it'll break up the dumplings.) Simmer for 5 minutes - WITHOUT OPENING THE LID - and then use a slotted spoon to turn them over. Put the lid back on and cook the dumplings another 5 minutes (without opening the lid). They will resemble little fluffy clouds floating in a slurry of sunshine.

Next, either push the dumplings to the side of the pot, or remove them to a plate while you cook the remaining dumplings. If you push them to the side you risk breaking them up, I know this from experience!

Anyway, back to the recipe ... when all your dumplings are cooked, reduce heat to low and add the dumplings back to the broth - along with all that delicious chicken you de-boned a few minutes ago. Cover, set the table, holler for the kids to come and wash their hands, take the cornbread out of the oven, and then serve.

Sugar Dumplings

Now you know why your momma called you "Sugar Dumplin'" - it was a sweet thing, not a bad thing!

6 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk

Heat oil to 365F in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan. In a medium bowl, beat the egg, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp oil until light. combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir in alternately with the milk until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls into the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden. Drain on paper towels and roll in 1/2 cup white sugar while still warm.

Burnt Sugar Dumplings

Sauce
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups hot water

Dumpling Dough
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

For sauce, brown 1/2 cup sugar in a large heavy skillet. Remove from heat and add remaining sugar, butter, salt and water. Stir until lumps melt and then return to stove on medium heat.

For dumplings, combine flour and sugar, then cut in butter. Add milk and stir until dough clings together.

Make sure sauce is at a good simmer and then drop dumpling dough by spoonful into simmering syrup. Cover and cook 15 minutes.

Serve warm over ice cream. Serves 10 to 15.

Brown Sugar Dumplings

Brown Sugar Syrup:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
Dumplings:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon butter
3/4 cup milk
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup nuts

Mix syrup ingredients together and bring to a boil.

While waiting on syrup to boil, mix together dumpling ingredients in mixing bowl.

When syrup is at a rolling boil, remove from heat and pour into 9x13-inch greased pan.

Next, drop dumpling dough by spoonfuls into the syrup. Bake at 350 degrees until "done."

Serve with whipped cream. Ouch! I think I just got a cavity from all this sweetness!

Cornmeal Dumplings

1 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
Soup, stock, or broth

Combine eggs and milk. Add egg mixture to cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir in melted butter.

Bring soup, stock, or broth to simmer and drop batter by spoonfuls into liquid; reduce heat.

Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve.

Apple Dumplings I

This makes 6 apple dumplings.

2-crust 9-inch Pie Pastry (2-crust 8-inch only makes 4 dumplings)
6 Sour Medium-Sized Apples - one for each dumpling
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Mix together sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Peel and core apples, reserving the peelings. Place apple in center of dough. Fill with sugar mixture and dot with butter. Place in greased dish and refrigerate while making syrup.

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water on peels. Simmer covered 20 minutes. Drain peels and mix liquid with 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon until sugar is dissolved. Pour into dumpling dish. Bake in 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until tender. Serve warm.

Apple Dumplings II

You can make your own crust if you wish, but I'm lazy. :)

2-crust 9-inch Pie Pastry
6 apples, peeled and cored
sugar, butter and cinnamon (a small amount of each for each apple)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cups hot water
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450º degrees F. Roll out pie pastry and cut into six pieces.

Place an apple on each square. Top each apple with a little sugar, a dab of butter and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Bring dough up to cover apple and pinch edges to seal. Place in greased pan, sealed edges under.

Combine brown sugar, butter, hot water, nutmeg and cinnamon; pour over dumplings. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake until done.

Daddy's Hush Puppies

1 2/3 c. self-rising cornmeal mix
1/3 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. beer (or water)
1 lg. onion, minced or grated
1 lg. bell pepper, chopped fine

Stir together cornmeal and flour, then add the milk and beer (or water). Stir in the eggs, peppers, and onion. Add more milk if necessary to form a soft but workable dough. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

Fry in about 1 inch of hot melted lard, bacon grease, or vegetable oil until well browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. Makes 8 to 10 hush puppies.

Chicken Liver Dumplings

Oh yum! (Not!)

1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 pound chicken livers
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, grated

Combine bread crumbs and milk, mix and let stand. Fry chicken livers and grated onion in small amount of oil. Fry until all the red is gone from the livers and they are solid enough to chop.

Chop chicken livers. Add flour, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic to chopped liver.

Add egg and liver mixture to the bread crumb mixture and mix until well blended.

Roll into small balls and cook in boiling beef broth or soup (you can also try chicken soup/broth and vegetable soup) for 10-12 minutes.

Sugar Dumplings

4 cups speckled butterbeans
Beef Boullion
Garlic Salt
Onion Flakes
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
DUMPLINGS:
2 c. self-rising flour
Milk

Shell, wash and place beans into pot and cover with water. Season with beef boullion, garlic, and onion flakes and cook until tender.

Pour off bean "broth" (or "pot likker" as we call it) into separate pot and bring it to a simmer. If there isn't enough pot likker, say, there's 2 cups or less, then add a can or two of broth (either chicken, vegetable, or beef will do).

Make a stiff dough by adding milk to the flour. Roll out thin and cut into 1.5-inch squares and drop into boiling broth. Simmer about 15 minutes. Do not stir.

Add butterbeans back into dumplings and broth. Reseason as desired and serve immediately!

Ham Dumplings

This is perfect for your ham leftovers!

2 c. self-rising cornmeal mix
Salt & pepper
Hot water
1 cup flour
1 cup onion, chopped
Ham broth
2 cups chopped ham

Mix all ingredients together with just enough boiling water so that it sticks together. Drop by spoonfuls into simmering ham broth. Make about 5-6 dumplings at a time, covering and cooking in ham broth about 5-7 minutes. Remove lid, turn dumplings, cover and then cook another 5 minutes. Repeat this until all the dough is used.

Add in chopped ham and eat!

Cathy's Pierogi's

1 egg
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
1 cup milk
1 cup water
4 1/2 to 5 cups flour

In bowl whisk egg, add sour cream, whisk until smooth. Add milk and water , whisk until combined. Slowly add about 3 cups flour and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.

Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and work in about 1 cup flour as you knead. Knead for about 10 minutes working in another 1/2 cup flour. Dough should be elastic and not sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour as this will toughen the dough. Throw dough in lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap to rest while preparing fillings.

There are different fillings:

Potato and Cheddar Cheese - mash potatoes and add melt in Cheddar cheese and butter, salt and pepper to taste. I do this for orders, we prefer kraut only or kraut with potatoes.
Sauerkraut - I only use kraut that is home made or bagged from store, not in cans. squeeze out all the liquid and cut up with knife fry some onions in butter till browned add kraut and cook through. Salt and pepper to taste and let cool to fill dough. We love this and I add lots of pepper to give it a bite.
Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes - Do the kraut same as above and mix with buttered mashed potatoes to whatever ratio you like, let cool and fill dough.

Next, place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Lay a clean linen towel on your counter and distribute 2 tablespoons cornmeal over towel to prevent sticking.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Use a glass or cookie cutter about 2 1/2 inches diameter and cut out as many circles you can. (I use a cutter about 4" to 5") Put filling in center of dough circle and pinch edges forming a well sealed crescent. Place on linen towel. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, etc.

Place pierogi in the boiling water in small batches. They will sink to the bottom of the pot and then rise to the top. Once they rise, let them cook for about 1 more minute. Take out and serve with melted butter drizzled over them.

**Note: after they rise and cook, I put them on drying racks to dry. Place them on cookie sheets and freeze them (so they don't stick together when bagged, when frozen I then bag them 6 in a bag for dinners. When you want to have some, simply defrost the bagged buggers, defrost and fry in onions and butter.

I have also tried potato and sausage filling, etc. Use your imagination! Enjoy.

S.D.'s Real South Dumplins

1 small chicken (looked about 3 lbs)
About 3 cups self-rising flour
About 2T vegetable oil (she used canola)
2 eggs
milk
salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken (no giblets) in pot with water to cover. Bring to boil. Boil chicken with a little salt and pepper for an hour and a half. Remove chicken and set aside. Slip dumplings into boiling water as they're formed:

Put flour, oil, and eggs in large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of milk. Mix with hands, using force (she really went after that stuff), adding more milk or flour periodically as needed. Dough may or may not form into ball (hers did not; seemed too dry; she says her husband's dough did). Press or roll into thin wafers and add to boiling chicken stock; boil 20 minutes after last addition. Remove meat from chicken and return it to pot, discarding skin, bones etc.. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, and heat chicken through.

One thing I could not get over is that it tasted as though it had sage and other seasonings in it, though nobody added any while I was looking. My husband's aunt had access to the pot while it was cooking and I was out, but she seemed an honest sort. It was quite remarkable.

Deep Dumpling Thots from the Southern Humorists....

Cowboy Mark: "As a culinary school trained foodie, Atilla (the ex) used to call me a food snob, I will throw in my two cents worth on the chicken and dumpling discussion. Years ago, before culinary school training, I decided to make chicken and dumplings. I grabbed the trusty ol' red and white checkered cookbook, you know the one with the name written in a black circle, and looked up the recipe. I do realize it would be easier to just name the cookbook, but I can never remember if it's the Better Homes & Garden, Betty Crocker, Field & Stream or Big Ol' Three-ring Binder Cookbook. I cooked and deboned my chicken. I realize some do not debone their chicken but I can't stand trying to pick up slimy dumpling-ooze covered chicken with my fingers to eat it. I then mixed my dumpling dough and as per the instructions and dropped a spoonful into the bubbly chicken liquid. The dumplings immediately disintegrated into a zillion shards of doughy schrapnel. I stood there in shock, screams coursing through my brain in silence saying, 'Oh, the humanity of it all!' Why this happened I do not know. What I do know is the trauma of the dumpling disintegration caused some type of serious trauma to my psyche and since that time I have not been able to attempt the recipe again."

Cathy Gregor: "Hey Angel dear, us Yankees have different types of dumpling's. Recipe one is in my family for ages with chicken soup and is easy, 2 cups flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt, pour in mixing bowl beginning in the center of flour, dribble 3/4 cup ice water incorporating small amounts of water at a time. Batter will feel as if it is going to be tough. Knead dough, form into ball. Dust a good amount of flour on dough board and rolling pin. Roll out to 1/8 inch thinness. Let air-dry for two minutes and add one strip at a time to the pot of boiling stock. Hold strip over pot, pull it in half, and drop into pot. Remember, do not stir mixture after dumplings have been added to pot." [Recipe Two can be found above.]

Sheila Moss: "Good grief Cathy! If I did all that, I couldn't eat them. I'd put them in a museum. Here are my recipes:

Dumplings Recipe #1 -

Stew chicken in crock pot, remove bones.
Open large can of Sweet Sue dumplings, throw canned chicken away or feed to dog, save dumplings.
Add dumplings to stewed chicken and warm.
Recipe #2 -

Go to Cracker Barrel.
Order Chicken & Dumplings.
Enjoy.

These recipes never fail."

S.D. Youngren: "My dad trained me to hate chicken and dumplings, or at least he tried to. Being as how he never allowed a dumpling into the house, the things could only remain an abstraction. But he used to tell us, repeatedly, WHY they were not allowed in the house: His mother's dumplings. My dad's mother could not cook. The one thing she was renowned for cooking properly was vinegar pie--something that most people won't eat even if it comes out perfect. We got stories about my grandma's cooking. Especially the chicken and dumplings. They were horrible, my dad says. The dumplings were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. Awful! He never wanted to see another dumpling again, even if it were cooked by somebody who wasn't my grandma. Naturally I was curious. Naturally--having heard other stories about my grandma's cooking disasters--I figured the lack of edibility was her fault. I wanted to try chicken and dumplings, at least once. I looked up the recipe in my Betty Crocker, and found that the dumplings (according to Betty) were supposed to be cooked with some kind of stew or something, on top of vegetables and chunks of meat (not in the broth). Apparently they were supposed to steam. How had my grandma managed to burn them? I could certainly manage not to do That. I'd just whip up some chicken and dumplings and--Except I didn't. I'd occasionally look at the recipe, but I didn't try it. Years passed. A couple of decades, at least. Enter a cousin of my husband's. She grew up in Georgia--still lives there--and she has an ex-husband who was, she says, 'Real South.' I finally met her last year, and within hours she was showing me how her ex used to make chicken and dumplings. Which we all ate, and all enjoyed. She didn't have a precise recipe; just put some of this and some of that in a bowl... I watched her and made some mental estimates as to quantity. Here is the recipe: S.D.'s Real South Dumplins.

But there it is: yummy (and very filling) chicken and dumplings, in defiance of my dad, my grandma, and of Betty, who had told me to keep them out of the broth. Only problem is, well, I still haven't managed to get up the nerve to make any all by myself.

Maybe sometime before spring..."

Leeuna: Cathy, these dumplin recipes sound delicious. And Mark, I had the same experience when I tried to make them for the first time. I ended up with thick chicken broth. I still don't know what I did wrong. I now make drop dumplins...it's a lot easier and they don't turn into soup.

Stay tuned for more SouthernAngel's dumpy recipes!