Southern Chicken & Dumplings

There’s no shortcut to real chicken and dumplings, and that’s the whole point.

A whole chicken simmers with its giblets, carrots, quartered onions, parsnips, and bundles of fresh parsley and dill until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and the broth is rich and golden.

This is the kind of cooking that fills the house with an aroma so good your neighbors might come knocking.

Skim the fat and foam as it rises, pull the chicken and vegetables out to stay warm, and serve it all with your favorite dumplings dropped right into that gorgeous broth.

Pro Tips

• Use the giblets (but discard the liver, which turns bitter). The neck, heart, and gizzard add body and depth to the broth.
• Tie the herb sprigs with kitchen twine so you can fish them out easily when the cooking is done. Loose herbs scatter and are impossible to remove.
• Skim the surface regularly during the simmer. Removing fat and foam gives you a cleaner, clearer broth.
• The broth from this recipe is liquid gold. If you have extra, freeze it in containers for future soups and sauces.
• Don’t rush the simmer. Low and steady heat for a full hour produces tender chicken that practically shreds itself.