Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Cook the chicken. Add the chicken to a Dutch oven. Cover chicken completely with water, plus about 3 inches. Bring the chicken to a boil over low heat until the chicken is very tender, approximately 2 hours.

Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from broth and pull into strips, returning to broth, discarding all but the meat.

Cook the soup. Add salt to the broth and increase to a medium heat to bring the broth to a boil.

Make the dumplings. Add the flour and butter to a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or forks. Stir in the buttermilk until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Drop the dumplings in to the soup. Stir after every few additions of the dough pieces to make sure they are submerged in the broth and able to cook.

Cook the dumplings. Add butter and milk, stirring to combine and often while cooking. Allow to gently boil for 3-5 more minutes, or until the dumplings are completely cooked. Remove a dumpling and cut in half to test for doneness, if needed.

Cook the soup. Add the chicken stock or broth, milk, and salt to a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir in the cooked shredded chicken.

Make the dumplings. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Once the soup reaches a boil, and you have stirred in the chicken, carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling soup. Stir after every few additions of the dough pieces to make sure they are submerged in the broth and able to cook.Stir the dumplings into the soup, reduce the heat to medium-low heat, cover the Dutch oven with a lid, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Check the dumplings for doneness. Remove the lid, stir, and remove one dumpling to check for doneness. Cut the dumpling in half to see if it is cooked throughout. If it is, the soup is done and ready to serve. If it is not, return it to the soup and continue to cook.

Cook the chicken. Arrange the rack insert inside the Instant Pot. Place the whole chicken onto the rack and sprinkle with the salt. Add 3 cups of clean water to the Instant Pot. Secure the top to the Instant Pot, close the vent at the top of the Instant Pot lid. Set the time using the Poultry button and reduce the amount of time to 25 minutes.

Shred the chicken. Once the Instant Pot reaches pressure, the chicken will cook for 25 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release over the next 15 - 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid of the Instant Pot and lift the rack insert out of the Instant Pot carefully transferring the chicken to a cutting board or platter. Remove the meat from the chicken and return it to the Instant Pot broth.

Make the dumplings. Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and bring the chicken and broth to a boil. Mix together the dumplings. Drop the dumpling dough pieces into boiling broth. Stir after every few additions of the dough pieces to make sure they are submerged in the broth and able to cook.

Cook the soup. Add milk, stirring to combine and often while cooking. Allow to gently boil for 3-5 more minutes, or until the dumplings are completely cooked. Remove a dumpling and cut in half to test for doneness, if needed.