Chicken and dumplings

  Mmmm...  good old chicken and dumplings.  Comfort food of the pantry variety.  My friends daughter asked me to please make her some chicken and dumplings, so I did.

  It's a Cracker Barrel copycat recipe for the dumplings which works pretty well. I always have home canned chicken and home canned chicken broth in my pantry, so it makes it a breeze to put this dish together.  Start to finish, about 45 minutes.  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 small-medium carrots, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cups cooked chicken
•  salt and pepper to taste
• garlic and onion powder if your little heart desires (mine does)

         Put your chicken broth into a wide pan (dutch oven) and bring to a simmer. Chop carrots,                   celery and onion into small pieces and put into the broth to cook.Add the S&P and the onion                and garlic powder.  Put a lid on it.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Pull the dough into 2 halves.

I use parchment paper to roll my dumplings out ...flour it heavily. Helps keep clean up easy AND doesn't stick.  Flour your rolling pin too. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2" wide strips with your pizza cutter. Then cut across to make 2x2 inch squares.

Put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings.

To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth.

Cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they don't taste doughy.

Add the cooked chicken to the pot and serve.