Bohemian Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

4 Chicken quarters, skinned if desired to reduce fat

1 lrg Onion, halved and sliced

2 teaspoons Paprika

1 teaspoon Marjoram or to taste

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

3 tablespoons Butter or Margarine

3 tablespoons Flour

4 dsh Bead Molasses (optional)

3 slc White Bread, day old

Milk

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Marjoram

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons Butter, melted-NO MORE

Bread Crumbs

Preparation

Chicken & Gravy Place chicken with onion, paprika, marjoram and pepper in a large stick pot, with enough water to cover (at least 8 cups). Bring to boil. Reduce heat and SIMMER until tender, about 40 min or until no red juices come out when pierced with a fork. Remove chicken and cover to keep warm. Save the stock.

Prepare dumplings as below. Roll the dough into one inch diameter dumplings and drop into gently boiling stock. Boil over medium heat for 25 minutes, turning over after 12 minutes. Remove dumpling and keep warm with the chicken. Save stock.

Make a roux by melting the butter in a small skillet. Add the flour to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is the color of a new penny.

Add enough of this roux mixture to the boiling stock to make a medium thick gravy. If lumps form, whisk them out with a wire whisk. Add a few drops of bead molasses if you wish for color and adjust spices with paprika, marjoram, pepper and salt to taste. (I like more pepper in mine.)

Simmer 5 minutes.

Return meat and dumplings to gravy and reheat all to just a simmer. Remove from heat. Let stand in hot gravy for 10 before serving.

DUMPLINGS Soak bread in milk. Squeeze out surplus milk. Shred bread into bowl. Add eggs, marjoram. salt and melted butter. Mix well. Add enough bread crumbs to make mixture into 1 inch balls that will NOT become fuzzy when boiled. Test one by dropping into boiling stock, then adjust crumbs as needed. Cook as above.

My grandma used to serve steamed cauliflower with this dish. We would ladle the gravy over the cauliflower, too. It tasted great.

A retired guy who loves to cook for his kids!