Chicken and Dumplings

The dumplings in this chicken soup are rolled out and cut in strips like noodles instead of shaped like a ball. Don't be intimidated though, it's really easy and sooo good!

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
2 TB canola oil
1 cup plus 2 TB water
salt & pepper
chopped parsley for garnish

1. Place chicken, onion, celery and carrots in 5 quart pot. Add chicken stock, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam.

2. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly. Simmer, occasionally skimming the broth, until chicken is tender, about 50 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Place flour, salt, and oil in a medium bowl and gradually stir in the water to make a stiff dough (I only ended up using about 1/2 the water, so add it slowly!). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1x3 inch strips.

4. Skim off any fat from the surface of the soup. Season with s & p.

5. Add the dough strips into the simmering soup without stacking or crowding them. (you will also need to increase the heat for a few minutes to keep it simmering). Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve from the pot, breaking up the dumplings as needed.

What I did: I used about half chicken thighs & half breasts. Trim off as much fat as possible and cut the meat in large chunks b/c it will shrink and larger chunks will hold more moisture = tastes better. I also used chicken broth from a can instead of actual stock. 3 cans & 2 cups water. The dumplings don't take very long to make, so you can wait till toward the end of the soup cooking. I used some wheat flour for the dumplings and added dried parsley about halfway through cooking instead of fresh parsley at the end. We had it with a loaf of Rhodes bread. So good!

Source: Art Smith, O at Home Winter 2008