Ingredients
- 2 chicken backs
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts or tenders
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- salt and pepper for broth (to taste)
- 2 tsp Penzeys Spices Bicentennial Rub (optional)
- 3 eggs
- 2 C tapioca starch, plus extra to keep dough from sticking
- 1 C almond flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 Tbsp water or broth
Instructions
- Place chicken backs in a large pot and cover with water. Add apple cider vinegar along with some salt and pepper.
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 8 hours (or longer if you like) and skim off any foam that rises to the top. I’ll occasionally add more water as the broth gets lower in the pot. It always gels and is very flavorful even with the water added but you can skip this if you like.
- A few minutes before broth is finished, start making dumplings. Whisk together tapioca starch, almond flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Make a dent in the dry mixture to add your eggs. Use a fork or biscuit cutter to combine. The mixture should start to form pieces that can be kneaded together. Add water or broth a half tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Dust a rolling pin and a clean counter or other flat work surface with some tapioca starch. Knead dough until you can form it into a smooth ball. Use the rolling pin to roll out dough into a large square. It can be as thick or thin as you like. I like to make a combination of thick and thin dumplings.
- Using a plastic spatula, cut dough into squares. I prefer to make mine very large but a normal size is probably closer to 1×1 inch squares. Use the same spatula to loosen the dumplings off of the counter.
- When broth has finished simmering, strain out the bones and return broth to the same pot. Reserve any meat you can from the chicken backs and add that back to the pot as well (I wasn’t able to save much – all the meat and bones break down into little tiny pieces). Taste the broth and add any salt or pepper, if needed.
- Bring broth back to a boil and add uncooked chicken, Bicentennial Rub (optional), onion, and celery. Boil for about 10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Reduce to a simmer. Pull out the chicken pieces to shred them, then add back to the pot. Add dumplings and simmer about 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked all the way through. It may take more or less time depending on how thick you made them.
- Serve. Yum!
Notes
Short version:
Use 8-10 cups pre-made bone broth or chicken stock. Omit chicken backs and apple cider vinegar from ingredient list. Skip steps 1, 2, and 6. Allow 30 mins cooking time for the quick version.