Chicken and Dumplings

1  3 to 3  1/2 pound chicken

4 quarts water

1 onion cut in 1/2

1 rib of celery, break in 1/2

1 bay leaf

1 TBS salt

1/2 TBS pepper

1 stick butter

Put chicken in a large stock pot, add water and chicken. Make sure there is enough water to completely cover the chicken, if not add more to cover. Add onion, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-high and cook until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, onion, celery and bay leaf form broth. Skim any fat from the top of the broth. Discard onion, celery and bay leaf. Let chicken cool and then remove skin and debone, cut into bite size pieces. Set aside. Prepare dumplings.

Dumplings

2   1/4  cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup water or chicken broth (cooled)

Mix flour, salt together. Add egg and water or chicken broth. Mix and knead together to form a dough. Dough should not be sticky. Add additional flour if needed. Flour a dough board generously to prevent the dough from sticking. Add more flour as needed. Roll the dough very thin. With a knife (or a pizza wheel works great) cut dough into strips 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. Keep dumplings floured well, the extra flour helps thicken the chicken broth.

Add butter to broth and bring to a boil. Slowly drop dumplings into the broth. Only a couple at a time to keep them separated and to keep them from sticking together. Turn heat back to medium and let dumplings cook for 15 minutes. Add chicken meat and cook additional 10 to 15 minutes. The longer you cook them the thicker it gets.

Enjoy!
~