Babbling Brook’s Chicken and Dumplings

Source: Babbling Brook restaurant, Santa Cruz, Calif., from “The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places,” (Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., and Simon and Schuster, New York., 1954)

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  fat  hen, whole or disjointed
• 7  tablespoons flour
•  salt and pepper
•  yellow food coloring

• Dumplings

• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 2⁄3 teaspoon salt
• 4  teaspoons baking powder
• 1  egg
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 1  tablespoon  oil or 1  tablespoon  melted shortening

Directions

1. Cook hen whole or disjointed in 1 1/2 quarts of water seasoned with salt.
2. Cook for about 3 hours.
3. When tender, lift out of the broth and cool. Pick meat from bones and cut in small pieces.
4. Thicken broth with 7 tablespoons flour and 3/4 cup water.
5. Mix smooth with an egg beater.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring.
8. Strain over chicken.
9. Reserve 4 cups of gravy in a flat stew pan for the dumplings. Bring to boil when ready to cook dumplings.
10. To make the dumplings, sift dry ingredients into the blended egg, milk and oil and stir briskly until blended.
11. Drop dumpling batter by teaspoonfuls into the boiling gravy.
12. Cover and cook gently for 8-10 minutes or until done.