{"id":58152,"date":"2023-11-30T22:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T22:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/30\/i-tried-dolly-partons-famous-chicken-dumplings-and-its-the-easiest-cozy-dinner\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T22:15:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T22:15:00","slug":"i-tried-dolly-partons-famous-chicken-dumplings-and-its-the-easiest-cozy-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/30\/i-tried-dolly-partons-famous-chicken-dumplings-and-its-the-easiest-cozy-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"I Tried Dolly Parton\u2019s Famous Chicken & Dumplings and It\u2019s the Easiest Cozy Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"


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We independently<\/a> select these products\u2014if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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There are a lot <\/em>of chicken and dumpling recipes<\/a> out there, and if you look closely, you\u2019ll notice that many of those recipes have a creamy base packed with vegetables. While these recipes are certainly hearty and delicious, truthfully, this isn\u2019t the traditional old-fashioned Southern way of making chicken and dumplings. You may be surprised to learn that the Southern way of making chicken and dumplings is actually brothy with far fewer ingredients, and Dolly Parton\u2019s Chicken and Dumplings recipe fits the bill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dolly Parton\u2019s recipe is simple, despite taking a little extra time to make. Thankfully there\u2019s no roux or cream sauce or even chopping <\/em>that takes place with this recipe. Instead, to make the base, all you need is water, salt, a whole peeled onion, leftover celery leaves (yes, the part you usually throw away!) and an entire chicken. That\u2019s right \u2014 a whole <\/em>chicken.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Curious about what a traditional Southern chicken and dumplings recipe tastes like, I decided to give Dolly\u2019s recipe a try. While it\u2019s much different than any other chicken and dumplings recipe I\u2019ve ever made, I do admit, I really liked how easy it was to throw together\u2026 and it may make an appearance in my regular weeknight rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Get the recipe: <\/strong>Dolly Parton\u2019s Chicken and Dumplings<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How to Make Dolly Parton\u2019s Chicken and Dumplings<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Place a 3-pound chicken breast-side down in a Dutch oven, then add in two quarts of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and add in 3\/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1 whole onion peeled (yes, leave it whole), and 1\/4 cup of chopped celery leaves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Leave the chicken to boil until fully cooked through \u2014 this should take around 45 minutes to an hour. You may need to flip the chicken halfway through to cook both sides thoroughly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Remove the chicken in a large bowl or onto a rimmed baking sheet and set it aside to cool. Strain the stock, and toss the onion and the celery leaves. Pour the stock back into the Dutch oven.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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While the chicken is cooling, prepare the dumpling dough. Mix together 2 cups (240 grams) of all-purpose flour, 1\/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1\/2 teaspoon of salt. Measure out 3 tablespoons of vegetable shortening and cut small dollops into the flour mixture. Whisk together with a fork, making sure to break down the shortening to even smaller pieces.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Slowly pour in 3\/4 cup of milk as you mix the dough (I did about 1\/4 cup at a time and mixed) until the dough is fully incorporated. Using a spatula, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, then set aside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Bring the chicken broth in the Dutch oven back to a boil. While this is happening, shred the chicken with clean hands and cut the large chunks into bite-sized pieces.<\/p>\n

Add the chicken back to the broth. Rip off small chunks of dumpling dough and plop them into the broth. Cover the Dutch oven and let it cook for 10 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mix the soup with a ladle so everything is incorporated evenly, then serve in bowls with an optional sprinkling of fresh parsley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At first, I admittedly was a bit skeptical about boiling an entire chicken. Typically when I cook chicken I roast it in the oven (or if it\u2019s smaller pieces, I sometimes fry it in a pan), so boiling an entire 3-pound chicken in water sort of freaked me out. I know this is a very common practice; I just haven\u2019t done it before, so I was a bit nervous to try it. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, and the chicken actually cooked really well. Plus, boiling an entire chicken with the skin results in a tasty homemade chicken broth, which made me feel like a Southern-cooking boss queen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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However, I did have two qualms with this recipe. The first had to do with the taste, I feel like it needs a little more oomph<\/em> \u2014 some extra salt and pepper, maybe some poultry seasoning, and herbs like thyme. I\u2019m also wondering what the stock would taste like if I added even more to it, like carrots, celery stalks instead of just the leaves, and maybe some garlic cloves.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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My second qualm had to do with timing. While this recipe says it only takes 30 minutes, it ended up being more like two hours. Thankfully, it wasn\u2019t two hours of being hands-on; the chicken has to boil for an hour or so to cook completely, and then you need time for it to cool so you don\u2019t burn your hands trying to pull it apart. Between the boiling, waiting, making the dumplings, then throwing everything together again, two hours is a safer bet when thinking through how long this recipe will actually take.<\/p>\n

All in all, I really enjoyed how easy this was to put together \u2014 even if the chicken did take a bit longer to cook. It felt really simple and used a few ingredients, which were mostly things I already had besides the chicken, of course.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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5 Tips for Making Dolly Parton\u2019s Chicken and Dumplings<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n