Po' Man Recipes - Chicken Dumplings

Honestly, I never thought as a child that any of the food that we ate was in any particular way special. Now, realizing why we ate in more than we ate out and learning some economical recipes has brought me to realize that a family can be fed on less than $50 per week. It really can be done, but only with a little help. One of the most often enjoyed dishes for us is this recipe for chicken dumplings, which is so simple and easy and so inexpensive. One pot can feed my family of 6 with leftovers for at least the following day.

Need:
Half a chicken breast or a leg quarter
1 can chicken broth
All-purpose flour
Salt
Seasonings (celery seed, salt, pepper)

Boil the chicken in a large stock pot with at least a couple quarts of water (I fill the pot half-way), boil until the chicken is tender and comes away from the bone easily. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Add can of chicken broth and bring back to a boil. In the meanwhile, mix 2-3 cups of flour with about a teaspoon of salt, then mix in enough cold water to form a thick dough, it doesn't take much, about a cup of water, but add it slowly as you mix (I use my clean hand to mix and knead) so you don't overdo. The dough should be firm and not sticky. Adjust with flour or water until the consistency is right. Now you'll need a clean surface and a rolling pin. I clean a counter for this, sprinkle the counter with flour and set the dough down, then sprinkle more flour on the dough and rub flour on the rolling pin. Roll out the dough to desired thickness, I like between 1/8" and 1/4" for my dumplings. When thickness is achieved, cut long strips, about an inch or so wide and cut the strips into sections about 2-3" long. Add the strips one at a time to the boiling broth. Cook dumplings about 20 minutes (or so) while you remove the chicken meat from the bones and either cut into chunks or shred. Add meat back to the dumpling/broth mixture and simmer another 15 or so minutes. Season with celery seed, salt, and pepper to taste.

There you have it, a very simple, very economical meal for a large, robust family... such as ours. ;)