Arkansas Chicken and Dumplings

Arkansas chicken and dumplings serves up a warm helping of southern comfort food. In short, just start with a whole chicken and roll your pastry into thick, wide, luscious noodles.

Dumpling Differences

In any case, you may have noticed that dumplings in chicken and dumplings recipes from Northern states vary from those in recipes from Southern states. Northern recipes, in general, use dropped dumplings (boiled balls of dough). Since the 1890s, most Northern dumplings have been dropped on top of the chicken and any accompanying vegetables. Hence, they are a steamed, not boiled dumpling. Southern recipes, in contrast, call for rolled dumplings (boiled noodles that are rolled and cut flat, thick and wide).

Given that our recipe hails from Arkansas, it features rolled, noodle-like dumplings. You will find Arkansas chicken and dumplings and over 400 more recipes from our staff in “Bronner’s Flavorful Favorites, Book 2.”

Arkansas Chicken and Dumplings*

Lorette Pirkle

Arkansas chicken and dumplings serves up a warm helping of southern comfort food.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 3 to 4 lbs. whole chicken boil and debone to bite-sized pieces, saving broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. Crisco shortening
• 2/3 c. ice cold water
• 1 c. milk
• 1 stick margarine
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Sift together salt, baking powder and flour.
• Cut Crisco into flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. 
•  Add the ice water and mix until moistened.
• Do not overmix or it makes tough dumplings.
• Roll out on a floured board and cut into 6-inch strips 1 inch wide.
• Bring broth to a boil and put dumplings in. 
• Broth must be kept boiling. 
• Stir once and boil for 10 minutes.
•  Turn off heat.
•  Stir in the milk and the margarine.
•  Add the chicken, and salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Keyword chicken and dumplings, comfort food, Dumplings, Southern comfort food

Substitutions and Sides

Moreover, you can substitute a store-bought rotisserie chicken and prepared chicken broth if you wish. By the same token, you can debone the rotisserie chicken and boil the carcass in water to make stock while you are mixing and cutting your dumplings.

Undoubtedly, you’ll want to serve your Arkansas chicken and dumplings with a delicious side or two. Consider a fresh green salad, grape salad or fruit salad. By and large, green beans or brussels sprouts also compliment a hearty bowl of chicken and dumplings. If you wish to keep your tastes Southern, choose fried okra, cornbread, corn pudding or fried apples. In similar fashion, this corn casserole recipe by Irene Bronner makes a great side.