LIZZIE'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS FROM TRISHA YEARWOOD RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• For the chicken: put the hen, breast side down, in an 8-quart stockpot and add water to within 2 inches of the top (you want the chicken to float clear of the bottom of the pot and be covered. Add salt and pepper. Bring water to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cover pot and cook for 2 hour, or till chicken is tender (drumstick twists easily. Allow to cool slightly and remove hen. Strain broth. Remove chicken from bones and cut or shred into small pieces. Set aside 2 C of broth and freeze for another use. Dumplings: Heat 2 quarts of the broth in a 3 quart pan. While it heats, put flour in a medium bowl. Dissolve 1 t. in 3/4 C water and stir to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto heavily floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. heavily flour a rolling pin and roll out dough very thing (if you have small counter space, I highly recommend dividing the dough into 4 portions and roll each portion separately to give you thinner dumplings. With pizza cutter, cut dough into 2 by 4 inch strips. When broth reaches rolling boil, add some of the strips of dough. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and bring back to boil. Continue to add dough strips in batches, always raising heat to bring broth back to rolling boil before dropping in more dough strips and reducing heat to simmer before covering pot again. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked chicken and serve.