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Ingredients:

1 roasting hen or 4- to 5-pound fryer chicken
Just enough water to cover
the chicken (too much makes a weak broth)
4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
Salt and black pepper to taste
Note: If using a frying chicken, you will also need to add 3/4 of a stick of butter to give broth a richer flavor.

Procedure:

To prepare the chicken:

Cover the chicken with water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until falling-apart tender (usually about 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Carefully remove chicken and allow to cool. Debone chicken into strips or small chunks.

I use only the white breast and very little of the dark for my recipe.

To prepare dumplings:

Into large bowl, add 4 cups plain flour and salt to taste. Stir well. Cut in the 3/4 cup of Crisco with pastry blender until like coarse cornmeal. Add enough warm (not boiling) chicken broth (usually about 1 1/2 cups) to make a stiff dough. Be careful not to mix too long because it will make dough tough.

Heat remaining chicken broth to a rolling boil.

Using one-third of the dough ball, roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into thumb-length strips. Drop into hot broth. Prepare remaining dough the same using one-third of dough ball at a time.

After all dumplings have been added to broth, reduce heat to simmer. Add black pepper and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken and stir very slowly until heated through and ready to serve.

Before or after you make the recipe, you can also:
• Hear how the World’s Greatest Down-Home Dumpling Cook-Off went down
• Check out our video of the Down-Home Dumpling Cook-Off
• Read an interview with Bea Farmer and our other dumpling contest finalists sharing their trade secrets
• Get step-by-step lessons from Bea on how to make her prize-winning dumplings
• See how the contest got its start – Pettus Read’s dumpling disappointment
• Buy the Down-Home Dumplings cookbook, featuring dozens of variations of dumpling recipes and the stories behind them