Chef Houser’s Favorite Recipe

Bobo’s Chicken-N-Dumplings

Chicken

  • 1 Whole chicken (3 pounds)
  • 2t Salt
  • 4 qt. Water
  • 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
  • 2 Jumbo Carrots, chopped
  • 2 Celery Ribs, sliced
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Dumplings

  • 2 C Flour
  • 2 T Baking Powder
  • ½ t Baking Soda
  • salt and sugar to taste (I change it depending on the meal)
  • ½ lb. Unsalted Butter
  • 2 C Buttermilk

Place the chicken, salt, water, vinegar, onion, carrots and celery in a large stockpot, adding more water, if necessary, to cover chicken. Bring to boil.Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat nearly falls from the bones. Remove chicken from broth; allow to cool. Remove meat from bones; discard skin and bones. Cut meat into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients in food processor with butter. The consistency should be small beads, very course with no large chunks of butter. Place in a bowl and mix in buttermilk by hand. They can be pretty moist. Just add more flour to make them easy to handle.

Bring broth to boil (you should have about 4 quarts). Drop dumpling into boiling broth. Reduce heat to a slow simmer; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover; cook until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.

Return meat to broth and simmer for 5 more minutes.