Slick dumplings

Name: Southern chicken and rolled slick dumplings
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 small whole chicken (1.4 kg); 1 onion, quartered; 2 celery stalks; 2 L water; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 250 g flour; 40 g butter; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 100-130 ml milk; 2 tbsp chopped parsley

chicken and slicks

United States

Boiled

Thin rolled flour dumplings cooked in chicken broth, especially associated with parts of the American South and Mid-Atlantic.

About this dish

Thin rolled flour dumplings cooked in chicken broth, especially associated with parts of the American South and Mid-Atlantic. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.

Recipe

6 servings

Southern chicken and rolled slick dumplings

Soup

1 small whole chicken (1.4 kg)
1 onion, quartered
2 celery stalks
2 L water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Dough

250 g flour
40 g butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100-130 ml milk

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1
Soup: 1 small whole chicken (1.4 kg); 1 onion, quartered; 2 celery stalks; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Simmer chicken, onion, celery, water and soup salt gently 60-75 minutes until tender and chicken reaches 74°C/165°F. Remove chicken, strain broth and reduce to about 1.5 L. Keep a quiet simmer, skim if needed and check thickest breast and thigh temperature, not merely loose joints. Cool enough to handle safely.
2
Dough: 250 g flour; 40 g butter; 1/2 tsp baking powder; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Rub dough butter into flour, baking powder and dough salt. Add milk gradually to a firm dough; rest 20 minutes. Keep butter cold, add lower milk first and mix lightly to firm dough; cover rest.
3
Roll 3 mm thick and cut 3 x 6 cm strips. Drop into gently simmering broth in batches, separating them as added. Roll evenly, keep strips separated and add one at a time so they do not clump.
4
Simmer 12-15 minutes until tender and cooked inside. Pick chicken from bones, return to soup and heat through. Add pepper and parsley. Use a quiet simmer, check tender noodles without raw flour centers and reheat returned chicken to 74°C/165°F before herbs.

Note

Slicks are rolled flat, not spoon-dropped. The small amount of leavening follows one linked variation; families also make unleavened slicks.