Dumplings. Rolled, Not Dropped

Dumplings should be rolled out with a rolling pin.  That is all.

Dropped dumplings are biscuits.  And if you think canned biscuits can be used for dumplings, then we can't be friends.

Seriously... biscuit dough is great for pot pies, but not for chicken and dumplings.

My grandma always made rolled dumplings, and those are the gold standard.  Sadly, my Grandma stopped making these long before I was old enough learn how.

My sister has a handwritten card of grandma's recipe, that she wrote while listening to Grandma... it starts out with "A bunch of flour, depending on how much dumplings you want."  Oh, and it includes a "fair sized pinch of baking powder plus an extra look for good measure".   Gaaaaaah, I can't cook like that.   Grandma probably cooked these on a wood stove...

So.... trial and error time.  I think this version is pretty darn close.  It makes a good amount for two people, or more if they don't eat like pigs (I wouldn't know).

You can put these into any boiling liquid, but of course chicken soup is the best.  Cook up a couple of chicken thighs in water with salt, pepper, onion, maybe a carrot or two. A bay leaf. Simmer it until the chicken is so done it falls off the bone.  Pull the meat off the bones and put it back into the broth (the meat, not the bones... not the skin, either).   Heat it up to boiling to put the dumplings in.

Sometimes I make it with meat off a rotisserie chicken.  A Costco chicken is $4.99 and we can eat three or four meals off it.  Simmer it in chicken stock, add a chopped onion and a sliced carrot.

This stuff makes good stock and doesn't take up a lot of room in the cabinet:

ROLLED DUMPLINGS

1 cup flour + some for dusting
2 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk

Stir dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the center.

Add milk and oil, stir with a fork until combined into a soft dough.

Place on a floured surface and knead 5 times.

Roll out about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 1 inch squares.

Drop into boiling soup, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

NOTES:

I like to roll these out on a cutting board dusted with flour.    My 11 x 14 cutting board holds it all.   Take a handful of flour and rub it into your rolling pin.  Don't shake off the excess flour, that helps thicken the soup.

Use a pizza cutter for quick and easy cutting.

One inch square is just a suggestion, 1 by 2 inch rectangles work.  Just don't cut them too big or they won't cook in the middle.

You want the soup to simmer at a low boil, just turn it down enough so that it doesn't boil over.

*If they don't come out fluffy enough to suit you, try using 3 teaspoons baking powder next time.

Grandma always took the lid off, and dunked the dumplings down into the broth once or twice to be sure they're nice and chickeny.