Old- Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

INGREDIENTS:

1 large chicken (4 to 4 1/2 pounds), cut into quarters
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 cups Scott's Chicken Stock
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise
2 ribs celery, preferably inner ribs, with leaves attached
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Generously season chicken with salt. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
In a large Dutch oven, combine chicken stock, 4 cups water, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat Add the leg portions and the backbone of the chicken to the Dutch oven. Place the breasts, skin side down, on top of the legs. Reduce heat to just below a simmer. Cover partially, and cook, making sure the stock mixture does not come to a simmer, until breasts are cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove breasts, and set aside. Continue cooking legs until very tender and meat begins to pull away from the bone, 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove chicken and vegetables, reserving liquid. Discard vegetables and set chicken aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg, oil, 3 tablespoons cold water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in flour until well combined. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

When chicken has cooled, remove skin and discard. Remove meat from bones and tear into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces; set aside.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Roll out dough until it is about 1/16-inch thick. Cut dough into 1 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch rectangles. Bring reserved stock mixture to a boil over high heat, and season with salt. Add dough rectangles to boiling liquid, shaking pot as necessary, but not stirring. Cook until, dough is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add reserved chicken and reduce to a simmer. Add sliced egg, butter, and heavy cream; season with pepper. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes more; season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and cover; let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving in shallow bowl.

Scott's Chicken Stock

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), rinsed and dried
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 rib celery, preferably an inner rib with leaves attached
1 small onion, peeled

DIRECTIONS:

Place chicken in a large pot and add 12 cups water along with salt, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, and let stand in a warm area until the leg and thigh of the chicken easily separate from the joint, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer chicken to a platter, and let cool. Reserve chicken for another use. Discard celery and onion. Strain liquid through a fine mesh sieve and carefully skim fat from the surface, if using stock immediately. Or, cool stock to room temperature and refrigerate overnight; remove solidified fat before using.

Scott Peacock

Cajun Chicken Stew

This savory Cajun Chicken Stew Recipe is easy to prepare, but the one common mistake folks make is trying to prepare a chicken stew with young fryers. A mature hen makes a better stew. The reason why? The meat on a young chicken will fall apart quickly during the cooking process. It takes longer to cook a hen and therefore all of the herbs and spices have more time to come together to create the savory taste.

Ingredients

1 four to five pound hen cut into pieces (never use fryer)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup all-purpose four
2 cups onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
prepare roux with flour and oil until brown in color
add onions, celery and chicken
cook 2 to 3 minutes before adding water, garlic, bell pepper and seasoning
simmer in covered pot until hen is tender (around 1 1/2 hours)
add more water if needed

Serve over cooked rice. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: You may substitute the wet roux with 1/2 cup of powdered gumbo roux.

www.realcajuncooking.com