Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (3-4lb) or 4lb bone-in pieces
• 10 cup water
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cup flour (dumplings)
• 2 tsp baking powder (dumplings)
• ½ tsp salt (dumplings)
• ¼ tsp black pepper (dumplings)
• ¾ cup milk (dumplings)
• 3 tbsp butter, melted (dumplings)

Steps

1. Boil chicken in water, simmer 1 hr.
2. Add vegetables and seasonings, simmer 35 min more until tender.
3. Remove chicken, shred, discard bones/skin/bay leaf, return meat.
4. Mix dumpling dry ingredients; mix wet; combine, don't overmix.
5. Drop dumplings onto simmering stew, don't stir.
6. Cover tightly, cook 15 min without lifting lid.
7. Rest covered 5 min, serve.

Notes

A plain broth-stew version — chicken simmered in water to make its own broth, no thickening at the end. For a richer, creamy-gravy take with flakier cut-butter dumplings, see Grandma's Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings.