My Grandma grew up on a farm and this was her recipe - no shortcuts but still pretty easy. For best results you must use a whole chicken and flour. You can also use some chicken stock for added flavor. The trick is the lemon which makes the chicken tender and adds flavor to the soup. Leftovers won't last very long with this.
Ingredients
- whole chicken: 1 piece
- pinch salt: 1 piece
- water to cover:
- lemon: 1 piece (halved)
- stalks celery: 2 piece (sliced)
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- carrots: 2 piece (sliced, to taste)
- all-purpose flour: 2 cups
- salt and ground black pepper: (to taste)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place chicken and 1 pinch salt in a large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum off the surface with a slotted spoon. Add lemon, celery, onion, and carrots. Simmer broth over medium heat until chicken starts to fall off the bone, about 1 hour. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Discard lemon. Remove chicken from the pot; let cool.
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Place flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Ladle in 2 to 3 scoops of hot broth. Mix in flour with a spoon until dough comes together into a ball. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead carefully until smooth. Roll out into a large rectangle; cut into small rectangular dumplings. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Drop dumplings one at a time into the simmering broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Bone chicken and chop into pieces. Add to the pot; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios