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MaMaMa’s Chicken and Dumplings
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Southern Recipe Restoration Project
For a stay-at-home mom, chicken and dumplings is a “beige meal” that her children love -- one that rekindles warm memories of their grandmother whenever she makes it.
The contributor: Andra Brown, the daughter of a retired Coast Guard pilot, who says she “moved a lot” growing up, but spent most of her childhood in Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. She lives in Buckhead with her husband and three children.
The story: “My mom, Sandra Ballew Middleton ... loved -- and when I say loved I mean loved -- her grandchildren. Her favorite foods to cook for them were chicken and dumplings and banana pudding.
“My oldest, Emma, was the first grandchild and couldn’t say grandmama, so she shortened it to 'MaMaMa.’ My children loved putting on an apron and helping her make the [dumpling] dough."
-- Susan Puckett, for the Journal-Constitution
Hands on time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour Serves: 4
Ingredients:
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2 chicken breast halves, with bone and skin
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
Instructions:
In a large pot or stockpot, place the chicken and cover with 2 quarts water. Add the onion, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the carrots and return the broth to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Place the flour in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Cut in with a pastry blender (or pulse the food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and stir quickly (or pulse) to blend. Drop the dumpling dough by tablespoons into the chicken broth; cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes.
While dumplings cook, remove the chicken from the bone; discard the skin and bones. Return the meat to the pot. Cover and cook dumplings an additional 15 minutes.
Place the flour in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Cut in with a pastry blender (or pulse the food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and stir quickly (or pulse) to blend. Drop the dumpling dough by tablespoons into the chicken broth; cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes.
While dumplings cook, remove the chicken from the bone; discard the skin and bones. Return the meat to the pot. Cover and cook dumplings an additional 15 minutes.
Notes:
There was no sign of a vegetable in Andra Brown’s mother’s recipe for this family favorite. That may be one reason why it was especially well-loved by her young children, who affectionately called their grandmother “MaMaMa.” Brown has since tweaked the recipe slightly to include onion and celery to heighten the flavor of the chicken. Carrots were added for color. You can choose whether or not to include them. With or without the veggies, it’s a comforting classic that’s always welcome on a chilly evening.
Share your own heirloom recipe
You, too, can share an old family recipe and honor a loved one: Go to ajc.com/food, and under Recipe Restoration Project click on Submit Yours and fill out the form. Or e-mail it to savingsouthernfood@ajc.com. Or mail it to Southern Recipe Restoration Project, c/o the Food Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.
Share your own heirloom recipe
You, too, can share an old family recipe and honor a loved one: Go to ajc.com/food, and under Recipe Restoration Project click on Submit Yours and fill out the form. Or e-mail it to savingsouthernfood@ajc.com. Or mail it to Southern Recipe Restoration Project, c/o the Food Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 488 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 22 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 20 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 69 milligrams cholesterol, 1,535 milligrams sodium.
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