Mama's Chicken and Dumplings

I love my mom's chicken and dumplings. It's just one of those comfort foods that tastes especially yummy in the fall as the weather gets cold. The first time I tried to make it on my own, we ended up with chicken and "dumpling", a sort of casserole instead of the thick-almost-soup that my mom makes. So during a recent trip home, I asked her to make it while I wrote down the steps.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

Whole chicken
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Poultry Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Flour

Directions:

Put cleaned chicken into large stockpot and cover with water.

Slice carrots, celery and onion, adding to stockpot.

Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is done.

Remove chicken.

In a seperate bowl, put approximately 2 c flour (seasoned with salt and pepper). Add enough broth from stock pot to make a dough.

Roll out dough, with the thickness depending on preference.

Cut dough into strips, then diagonally.

Bring broth to a boil and drop in dumplings.

Debone cooled chicken, shred and add back to simmering broth.

Dissolve flour in cold water and add to broth until desired gravy consistency is found. (about three tbsp worked for me).

**Mama's Suggestions:

1. For those not from the south (and not used to traditional chicken and dumplings) roll the dumpling dough thinner.
2. 2-4 Chicken breasts works in place of a whole chicken with less cleaning. I like using the frozen chicken breasts with rib meat. You get all white meat, but still the benefit of bone for the broth.