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Oh my! This was so good! Having never had Slicks I had no idea what to expect. My local grocery store has been bringing in stewing hens for Chinese New Year (I have a theory that the Chinese know what's tasty, so I just copy what they buy; haven't been disappointed yet). The hens made for an extremely flavorful broth. YUM! I would encourage anyone to try this recipe.

Yeah, this one is definitely going on the next round of menus.

My husband really prefers puffy biscuit-like dumplings so I have been making those for years. I, on the other hand, have never met a dumpling I didn't like. I really loved this recipe as well. I will make it occasionally for my benefit.

I did finally perfect my own puffy dumpling. 2 cups AP flour, a teaspoon salt, and milk as needed. I roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick and then cut them into 2x3 rectangles or so. I finally learned that I do not like them leavened or to include extra fat. This makes them denser, which we love.

I will have to try it, sounds good and Lord knows Jerry loves chicken. Unfortunately, we do not have an Asian market to get plump chickens, will have to ask my friend Lucy to to to her local, well 15 miles closer than I am lol, Asian market and pick me up a chicken!



Sunny

From the OB:

I don't get CC. Could someone tell me what this recipe is about?

Well, it's this here one;

Chicken and Slicks

Thin noodles made from flour, lard (or oil), and water are the hallmark of this regional favorite. Most older recipes give the cold shoulder to vegetables, relying almost exclusively on chicken to flavor the dish. But could we re-create the same full-bodied cross between soup and stew using lean, bland, modern-day supermarket birds? Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

•Replacing water with canned chicken broth was a no-brainer and provided a flavorful base for our version.
•Rather than throw chicken parts into simmering broth, we browned them first to boost flavor. We used both white and dark meat to please fanciers of each, and we stuck to bone-in pieces for the best flavor.
•We replaced the lard in our slicks with more readily available vegetable oil as well as some of the rendered fat from our chicken. Chicken broth took the place of the water to add more flavor to the slicks.
•Cooking the slicks in an already thickened broth caused them to break apart. To solve the problem, we cooked the slicks in the unthickened broth before adding toasted flour to thicken it.
•Briefly freezing the slicks before cooking them in the broth further helped prevent them from breaking apart.


STEP BY STEP


Fat Is Where the Flavor Is

We bumped up the flavor of the slicks by using chicken broth and rendered chicken fat in the dough.
Rendered Chicken Fat

STEP BY STEP


A Slick Production

Sure, making slicks requires a little time (although we minimize it by making the dough in the food processor). But the delicious result is definitely worth a bit of effort.
1. After kneading the dough briefly, roll each dough half into a 10-inch square of 1/8 inch thickness.


2. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the dough into 5 by 1-inch rectangles.


3. Stack the slicks between layers of parchment and freeze briefly before simmering.

STEP BY STEP


Toasted Flour Slurry

Flour-thickened stews usually start with a roux of flour cooked in fat to cook off the floury taste. But when we tried starting this recipe with a roux, the slicks failed to cook through in the viscous simmering broth. If we turned up the heat, they broke apart. If we added the flour at the end, our dinner tasted like raw flour. Finally, we got the idea to dry-toast the flour on the stovetop to cook off its raw flavor. We combined the toasted flour with broth to make a slurry, which we stirred into the pot once the slicks were tender at the end of cooking.My Notes
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Chicken and Slicks
Serves 4 to 6

If you’re short on chicken fat at the end of step 1, supplement it with vegetable oil.


3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), excess fat trimmed
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved crosswise
Salt and pepper
2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion , chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
7 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Toast 6 tablespoons flour in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer flour to medium bowl and wipe out pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Pour fat (you should have about 2 tablespoons) into another small bowl; reserve.

2. Add onion and 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 7 cups broth, chicken, and bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until white meat registers 160 degrees and dark meat registers 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to clean plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones.

3. Meanwhile, combine remaining chicken broth, reserved fat, and remaining oil in liquid measuring cup. Process remaining flour and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until combined. With machine running, slowly pour in broth mixture and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide in half.

4. Following photos 1 to 3, roll each dough half into 10-inch square. Cut each square into twenty 5 by 1-inch rectangles. Place handful of noodles in single layer on parchment-lined plate, cover with another sheet of parchment, and repeat stacking with remaining noodles and additional parchment, ending with parchment. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

5. Return broth to simmer and add noodles. Cook until noodles are nearly tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate. Remove 1 cup broth from pot and whisk into reserved toasted flour. Stir broth-flour mixture into pot, being careful not to break up noodles, and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and parsley and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

MAKE AHEAD Broth and chicken can be made through step 2 and refrigerated in separate airtight containers for 2 days. Dough can be made through step 3, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 1 day. To finish, proceed with step 4.

This is a local recipe/staple of the lil blue haired ladies club. In the right hands; pretty tasty.....and the opposite. Granny was a great ckn and dumpling maker.

I made the same circuit breakfast(small wonder we are noted for our svelte physiques,no.?): biscuits, gravy, eggs 2 ways, sausage, bacon, and, hey.....just in case I didn't get my fair allotment of caloric intake--a smallish dish of linn?? honey. I am never eating again.

K
Thanks so much! I really didn't expect the whole recipe, but am very greatful. I will probably try this next week.
Kathy

I'm making this again tonight, but this time I'm going to put in some veg. Don't run me off the board; I'm such a rebel.