Old Fashion Chicken & Dumplings

What Passes for chicken and dumplings these days isn't what Grandmother and Mom made. But the arts died with their passing. Here's one that is very close to my mom's and I've adapted. She never used eggs for the dumplings, that was inmpovise because of egg noodles. Try both ways to see which one your family cares for. The celery always add natural sodium and keeps it light. I like one cut up carrot that Mom didn't use in her's. I posted this recipe because I didn't want the old fashion recipe to die out... This takes time but worth it. The photo doesn't do this recipe justice...it was borrowed from "images"...no celery nor a few carrots for color, but the dumplings were cut correctly.
Ingredients:
1 diced onion
Few stalks of celery (sliced up)
Organic chicken fryer
2 1/2 -3 1/2 tsp. salt
1-3 eggs (optional & depend on how many dumplings)
2 Tbs. fresh parsley
few cans of emergency chicken broth
Cream or half and half
Pepper to taste
Slice onion and celery and chop in food chopper or blender.
Flour to thicken


Place organicall grown chicken in lg. pot with vegetables with salt.
Cover with water and bring to a boil until its cooked.
*Remove boiled chicken from broth. When cool take meat off of bones (I like mine cut up and bone-in, it seems tastier)

Meanwhile; Put the broth into med. to lg. pot; bring to boil

While this pot is boiling; Put 2-4 cups of flour into a big bowl and make a well. Pour 1 cup of warm chicken broth, 1 egg, 1 tsp. salt and parsley into the well. Mix ingredients using a fork until a soft dough form. Set aside and rest. (How much flour? How many do you want to serve, this is one of my method recipes. It doesn't matter how much flour. Just make a right amount and form a ball using water or the broth, salt and pepper)

On a floured surface, and roll the dough out (flipping it over) until very thin. Flour dough, and cut into parallelograms and put them into the boiling water. When they float to the top they are done.

Place dumplings into a crock pot or pot on a low temp. to keep warm. If broth level gets low before all dumplings are cooked, add chicken broth from can as much as needed.

After all dumplings are done, place chicken, milk and pepper on top, toss and mix gently.

If want a thicker gravy add flour to cool milk, mix, and pour; or tempering it with the warm chicken broth. Then add the cooled cream or milk in the pot of chicken and dumplins. Pepper to taste. (I love the gravy it makes.) How much flour depends on how much broth left? About; 2 tbs flour to 1/4 cup in cup of cool milk. Add it slowly as it thickens. Stop when it reaches the desired thickness and throw away the rest.
Serve warm
*Make this basic same recipe with wide or bow noodles for a quick semi home made comfort meal with cream of chicken, celery or mushroom soup. Or, use a "bisquick," mix and follow the dumpling recipe on the box; sub. chicken broth instead of water.

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