I’ve been craving Chicken and Dumplings for a while and I’m sure I could find a recipe to make them but they wouldn’t be my Granny Dorie’s. No restaurant can compare to her Dumplings. As my mom and I used to say keep the Chicken and bring on the Dumplings please. In my family there are some recipes I remember because of the ingredients. And then there are recipes I remember because of the people who made them.

For me, chicken and dumplings will always bring me back to my Grandma Dorie. Grandma Dorie was my mama’s mom, and she made chicken and dumplings the old-fashioned way — completely from scratch, with patience, love, and a kitchen full of memories. Although, a few times oh sh..t would slip out which made Sunday mornings even more fun.

These were not chicken and dumplings made with shortcuts. They were not made with canned biscuits. They were not made with tortillas. These were true homemade dumplings. The kind where flour covered the kitchen, where family gathered around the table, and where everyone had a job to do.

Someone was making the dough. Someone was rolling out the dumplings. Someone was cutting them. And Grandma Dorie was standing at the stove, stirring that big stew pot and making sure everything was just right. While someone else was pouring Lipton’s Sweet Tea for everyone while the kids played outside and men set in the living room watching tv. All except for my dad who was allowed to help in the kitchen.

One of the things I love about old family recipes is that they were rarely written down. Grandma Dorie didn’t have a recipe card with exact measurements. She cooked with a pinch of this, a little bit of that, and a whole lot of love. That’s how many of our grandmothers cooked. They knew what the dough should feel like. They knew when the broth needed a little something extra. They knew when the dumplings were ready just by looking at them.

The recipe was in their hands. It was in their memories. It was something passed down by watching and helping. This wasn’t a recipe you would find written down it was one you learned to make by spending hours and hours in the kitchen with the women folk as they used to be called. At least that is the story my dad told me.

When my dad and my sister would make dumplings, you didn’t grab a small bag of flour. No. You needed at least 10 pounds of flour. Don’t ask me why, but that’s just how it was. And you needed the biggest soup pot you could find. Those dumplings were made to feed a family. They might last for a day. They might last for a week. They might even last for a month. But they had to be finished.

That was part of the tradition. And another tradition? There were no peas because if there was you wouldn’t catch my dad eating dinner. I know some people add peas to their chicken and dumplings, and that is perfectly fine for their family. But in my home? True dumplings had no peas. Or carrots. What about in your home?

The secret to Grandma Dorie’s chicken and dumplings was never expensive ingredients. It was time. You didn’t go buy fancy things. You used what you had in your kitchen. And canned chicken? Oh, heck no. You used a real, whole chicken. And canned chicken broth? Oh no. There was never canned chicken broth in Grandma Dorie’s kitchen either.

The broth came from the chicken itself. The chicken cooked slowly in a big pot until the meat was tender and the flavor filled the entire house. That homemade broth became the heart of the meal. After hours of cooking, the chicken was removed, cooled, and carefully deboned. Then it went back into that rich broth before the homemade dumplings were added. That is what made it special. It was not about convenience. It was about care.

One of the best memories was the smell. The house smelled amazing while that chicken cooked. You knew something good was coming. But were you allowed to snack while those dumplings were cooking? Oh, heck no. You waited. You waited until everything was finished. You waited until the family gathered around the table. Because that was part of the experience. The waiting made the meal even better.

Today, when I think about chicken and dumplings, I don’t just think about a bowl of food. I think about my Grandma Dorie. I think about family standing together in the kitchen. I think about flour everywhere. I think about a big pot simmering on the stove. I think about recipes that weren’t measured because they were made from love.

Those are the recipes worth keeping. Because food is never just food. Food carries stories. Food carries memories. Food carries the people we love. For that my family is Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed for my grandmother and the amazing food she would make not only for our family but anyone who wandered into her home.

Grandma Dorie’s Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken and Homemade Broth

• 1 whole chicken
• Water (enough to cover the chicken)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Onion, optional but never in my grandma Dorie’s home or my dad wouldn’t eat them
• Your favorite seasonings, if desired again not in her home all she needed was s&p (salt & pepper) the more pepper the better my dad would say

For the Homemade Dumplings

• All-purpose flour ( store brand is fine)
• Salt
• Water or some of the homemade chicken broth ( in her house water was never used)
• A small amount of shortening, butter, or oil if desired ( only butter if you ask Dorie)

To Thicken the Broth (if needed)

• Cornstarch
• Cold water

Which Grandma Dorie never needed

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken

1. Place the whole chicken in a large stew pot.
2. Cover the chicken with water.
3. Add salt, pepper, and any seasonings your family enjoys.
4. Cook slowly until the chicken is tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bones.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to cool.
6. Carefully remove all bones and return the chicken pieces to the homemade broth.

Make the Dumplings

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Slowly add water or broth until a soft dough forms.
3. Roll the dough out thin on a floured surface.
4. Cut the dough into dumpling pieces.
5. Drop dumplings into the simmering chicken broth.
6. Cook until the dumplings are tender and cooked through.

Finish the Dish

1. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings if needed.
2. If the broth needs thickening, mix cornstarch with cold water and slowly stir it into the pot.
3. Serve warm and enjoy.

Remember: Grandma Dorie didn’t measure love, and she didn’t always measure ingredients either.

She cooked from the heart.

Serve with Salad or Homemade Mashed Potato’s

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Sunday Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the memories that remind us where we came from and the people who filled our lives with love.

Thank You for family traditions, shared meals, and the simple moments that become treasures we carry forever.

Help us slow down and appreciate the blessings around us. Help us create memories in our own homes that future generations will cherish.

Bless our kitchens, our families, and the hands that prepare meals with love.

Amen.

Share Your Family Recipe Memory

What recipe takes you back to someone you love?

Was it something your grandmother made? A meal your parents prepared? A dish your family gathered around the table to enjoy?

Share your story in the comments. We would love to hear about the recipes that make your house feel like home.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates