My Favorite Cracker Barrel Recipes

This is one my favorite restaurants to visit on the weekends.  If I had to pick my favorite breakfast or favorite home country cooking restaurant, Cracker Barrel would be my choice!  I love great home cooking, and this is the restaurant to visit if you want great home cooking food.  Recently, I have started experimenting with making restaurant recipes at home.  I have a few  Cracker Barrel Recipes that I really like.  Here are my favorite Cracker Barrel Recipes!

Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

Chicken and Broth

3 quarts water
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
4-6 whole parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third.

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end.

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.

Source: Cooking Cache.com

Cracker Barrel Biscuits
8 servings

2 c  Bisquick

2/3 c  Real buttermilk

1.  Work together Bisquick and buttermilk to smooth dough. Dip hand in just enough Bisquick to kneed dough in bowl until smooth and elastic.

2. Shape dough into 16 thin patties, placing 1 atop another forming 8 biscuits in greased 9″ round baking pan. Bake at 450 16 to 18 minutes or until golden. Wipe tops at once in butter. They split easily because of the way you formed them with the 2 pieces.

3. To make BONANZA Copycats, add 4 ts sugar. Shape into 6 patties, 1″ thick, 3″ round. Place close together in greased round baking pan. Wipe tops in soft butter. Bake 450 18 minutes or until brown.

4. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Split with thumbs instead of cutting with knife. These do not keep well. Right out of oven wipe tops again with dabs more butter to keep surface soft and tender.

Source: Gloria Pitzer's Secret Recipes  


Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole Recipe

8 servings

2 pounds Frozen Hashbrown Potatoes -- thaw
1/2 cup Margarine -- melt
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 cup Onion -- chop fine
1 can Cream of chicken soup
2 cups Colby Cheese – grate

1. Preheat oven at 350 F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Gently mix in the potatoes and pour into prepared pan or dish.

3. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 35 minutes.

Source: cdkitchen.com