Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 ½ lb)
• 4 medium stalks celery (with leaves), chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, sliced ( ½ cup)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, if desired
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cold butter or shortening
• ¾ cup milk

Instructions

1. 1Trim any excess fat from the chicken. Place the chicken, chopped celery, onion, sliced carrot, parsley, one teaspoon of salt, pepper, and water into a four-quart Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat.
2. 2Place the lid on the pot and simmer for about two hours. The chicken is ready when the juices run clear after cutting into the thickest part of the meat, reaching an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. 3Take the chicken and vegetables out of the Dutch oven. Skim off half a cup of fat from the surface of the broth and set it aside. Pour the broth into a large bowl, keeping four cups for the recipe and saving any extra for future use.
4. 4Warm the reserved half cup of fat in the Dutch oven over low heat. Whisk in half a cup of flour and cook while stirring constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and bubbly, then take the pot off the heat.
5. 5Pour in the four cups of reserved broth and stir well. Bring the liquid to a boil while stirring continuously, letting it boil for one minute. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot, lower the heat, and warm everything through for about 20 minutes.
6. 6Combine the remaining one and a half cups of flour, dried parsley flakes, baking powder, and half a teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.
7. 7Work the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir gently to combine.
8. 8Scoop spoonfuls of the dough and drop them onto the hot chicken and vegetables, avoiding the liquid directly to prevent soggy dumplings. Leave the pot uncovered and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
9. 9Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through.
10. 10For a faster version, skip the homemade dumpling ingredients. When thickening the broth, use half a cup of baking mix instead of the standard flour, and proceed with boiling the broth as instructed.
11. 11To make the quick dumplings, stir two cups of baking mix and two-thirds of a cup of milk in a medium bowl until a soft dough forms. Drop spoonfuls of this dough over the hot chicken mixture.
12. 12Cook the quick dumplings uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Place the lid on the pot and cook for a final 10 minutes before serving.

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