The Hirshon Delaware Chicken And Slippery Dumplings

Citizens, this evocatively-named recipe from Delaware caught my attention and I found it worth sharing!

As noted in this post by writer Patricia Talorico:

I was recently asked to name a few dishes that uniquely represent Delaware.

Given Delaware’s massive poultry industry in Sussex County, which contributes $3.2 billion to the state’s economy, one of the most quintessential regional dishes has to be chicken and slippery dumplings.

This stewy, satisfying comfort food, usually served with a side of succotash or green beans and a roll for sopping up the rich, soupy chicken gravy, has long been the staple of fundraising dinners, from churches to fire departments, from Moose to Mason lodges.

Scope the state and you’ll find family-style restaurants offering steamy plates as a weekly special.

A true Delaware dumpling shouldn’t be confused with Southern-style drop dumplings. Delaware’s “slippery” dumplings are large rectangles, cut from dough rolled as thinly as possible, and have a sleek, noodle-like consistency.

This is the TFD version of a classic and deservedly worthy family recipe!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Delaware Chicken And Slippery Dumplings

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• Total Time: 0 hours

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, preferably free range and organic (about 5 to 7 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Bell's Poultry Seasoning
• Homemade chicken stock (preferred) or water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 6 carrots, sliced into coins
• Butter
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (I prefer Lawry's) or just use regular salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco preferred)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Parsley and chopped celery leaves for garnish

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Instructions

1. Rub chicken breasts with salt, pepper, Poultry Seasoning and paprika.
2. In a large Dutch Oven, sauté the carrots, onions and celery with butter. Once translucent, add the chicken and stock.
3. Tie the rosemary, parsley and thyme into a bundle with kitchen twine and drop in the pot. Bring to a low boil and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. When chicken is cooked through, remove it from pot and allow it to cool. Discard herbs.
5. Mix together flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add shortening and mix with your fingertips until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. Add warm stock, a little at a time, until a soft, but not sticky, dough is formed.
6. Knead on floured board until soft, pliable and very smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Place dough on floured surface and roll very thin. With a sharp knife, cut into squares, about 2 inches. Dust dumplings with flour.
7. Raise heat on the pot of broth to medium-high and drop dumplings, one by one, into boiling stock, being careful not to let them stick together. Cover and boil dumplings for 10 to 15 minutes.
8. The liquid should thicken into a light gravy. If not, or if you prefer a thicker gravy (I do), make a roux out of flour and butter in equal parts, toast in a frying pan, stirring constantly until nut brown. Pour in stock from the dumplings and stir until a gravy is formed. Add chopped fresh herbs to taste plus salt and pepper.
9. While dumplings are boiling, remove chicken meat from the bones. As an optional but delicious step, fry up the skin in a blazing hot pan with oil and make it very crisp. Break into small pieces. This is a TFD addition to the classic recipe, where the skin is simply discarded.
10. Garnish dumplings with chopped parsley and celery leaves. Serve them immediately with the gravy over the torn-up chicken meat, sprinkle with fried skin cracklings if using.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours