The Difference Between Southern Dumpling and Slippery Dumplings
Growing up in the south I know all about chicken and dumplings. Truthfully, I never liked them because the biscuit-like dumpling is too wet on the outside and felt like I was eating raw dough. I had no idea there was another option! Then we had our Delaware state dinner and I learned about slippery dumplings. They are just as cozy as southern chicken and dumplings, but the noodle style dumpling is much more appealing, at least for me.
Slippery Dumplings is Kind of Like Making Chicken Soup
The first step in making slippery dumplings is to saute what is known in the food world as "the trinity," a combination of onions, carrots, and celery. The trinity is sometimes also used in reference to an onion, celery, bell pepper combination, but in this recipe we are using the carrot version. Once they are soft, add in your seasoned raw chicken and the broth. I love the flavor that the fresh rosemary and thyme give to this dish! I almost didn't use them because I didn't have any twine, but then my problem-solving brain kicked in and I clipped them with these Twixit clips. It worked! I use these clips for keeping bags closed in the pantry and freezer, but apparently they are pretty versatile. Back to the recipe - simmer the chicken for about 30 minutes, until it is cooked through.
The Making of Dumplings
Making the dough is easy, and can be done while the chicken is cooking. Mix the dumpling ingredients together until you have a whole bowl of coarse crumbs. I use a pastry cutter, but you can even use your fingers for this! No special equipment needed! Then you use some of the warm broth from your pan to add in enough liquid to make a soft dough. Knead it for about 5 minutes, and it is ready to roll.
The one important thing here is the thickness of your dough. You want it really thin. I even brought out my ruler to make sure it was only ⅛" thick. You don't have to be as OCD as I am. Just make sure it is really thin. After it is rolled out, cut it into strips. You don't have to be perfect here. Just somewhere around 2x1 is great! I like to use a pizza cutter for this part, as it makes it really fast and easy!
Drop the dough into the pan one at a time and watch them cook up! We made this a family affair. It's a whole lot faster for 4 of us to drop in the dough instead of just 1 person. But if you don't have extra hands, don't sweat it! You can handle it on your own as well.
Slippery Dumplings are a Great Comfort Food
One they finish cooking you serve the dumplings and broth poured over the chicken. It is a warm, comforting, flavorful bowl of hearty-goodness! This recipe will be going on our menu rotation in the winter, for sure!
Recipe
Slippery Dumplings
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 6 carrots, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2.5 lbs chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 4-6 cups chicken broth
Dumplings
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, and onion, and saute until translucent.3 celery stalks, diced, 6 carrots, diced, 1 medium onion, diced, 2 tablespoon butter
- Mix together salt, black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Rub over chicken. Add chicken to the Dutch oven and pour 4-6 cups of chicken broth over the top. (The amount of broth depends on whether you prefer more of a soup or a thicker, pot pie-like result. I use 5 cups.)2.5 lbs chicken breast, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, 4-6 cups chicken broth
- Tie rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and drop into the broth. Add bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf
- While chicken is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers, until it is coarse crumbs. Remove 1 ½ cups of broth from the Dutch oven, and mix into the flour mixture a little at a time until a soft dough is formed.2 cups flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup shortening
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead about 5 minutes, until it is soft, pliable, and smooth. Cover and let rest 10-15 minutes.
- Once rested, place dough back onto a floured surface and roll out until it is ⅛-inch thin. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2"x1" strips.
- When chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pot and cover with foil to keep warm. You can shred or leave whole. Remove herbs and bay leaf from the pot and discard.
- Raise the heat of the broth to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drop in dumplings once at a time, stirring occasionally, to keep them from sticking together. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately over chicken.
Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Tom says
I have been looking for a recipe my grandmother use to make and the picture look as close to I remember from a long time ago. The noodles are what I remember and these appear to be the same. No family members have the recipe. Now the question, my grandmother called the dish Chicken and Slipjack noodles. I saw this come up with dishes of Delaware, looking as I remember, and wondered if you have ever heard the Slipjack (Slip Jack?) reference? Thank you
Erin Gierhart says
Tom, I’m so glad the noodles look close to what you remember. Those thin dumplings show up in a lot of Delaware and Mid-Atlantic kitchens, and families often have their own names for them. I haven’t come across “Slipjack” myself, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a local or family term for the same style of dumpling.
Dee says
Tried this recipe out last night and I have a few comments to make that will help future users.
1. Mix chicken parts up a little. My husband is more of a dark meat guy while I like white meat chicken. I tossed a few thighs into our recipe which made both of us happy!
2. Check the temp of your chicken. I followed the instructions to add my raw chicken to the Dutch oven pot and simmer 30 min. My chicken breasts were terribly overcooked and dry - basically inedible. I should have checked my chicken temps via a meat thermometer at 15-20 minutes to avoid this issue.
3. Keeping in mind the 4-6 cups of chicken broth/stock your dumplings will soak up a lot of that moisture once in the pot. I added only 4 C of stock and should've gone more to 6C in order to have the additional liquid I was used to having.
I would completely recommend this recipe to others tho! Everything was delicious in spite of the overcooked chicken breasts.
Erin Gierhart says
Thank you, Dee, for the thoughtful feedback and for sharing your experience! I love your idea of mixing white and dark meat. That’s a great way to please everyone.
C says
I remember eating my cousin's slippery dumplings during the chillier parts of the year in Delaware as a young lady. This really hit the spot- had to substitute butter for shortening, and I slow cooked the chicken and mirepoix for +1hour instead of simmering for 30 min. I was worried about the dumplings as 1/4c butter was not enough to make a coarse crumb with the dry ingredients and 1.5c broth was waaaay too much liquid. Had to redo them with a bit more butter, less broth, and still wasn't able to knead them to what I consider smooth. (It could be because I used KAF AP Flour which has a higher protein content. I was worried about overworking the dough, but everything came out great and really hit the spot. Thanks so much for sharing!
Erin Gierhart says
I love hearing how this brought back memories for you! You’re right that flour type can affect the dough, and adjusting the butter and broth like you did is a smart call. I’m glad it still came together and gave you that nostalgic comfort!
Heidi says
I haven't used butter but without fail, I always find 1 cup of broth works to achieve the dough consistency I like. Even then I sometimes add some extra flour in small increments. All else fails, add 1 cup and add small amounts of broth as needed