Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

For day #6 of Soup Month, we have an all-time favorite on the list of comfort foods, Chicken and Dumplings.  Cold season has officially begun, and the reports from school say there are lots of sniffles, sneezes and sick kids out there so it's time for some old-fashioned medicine.

This is a pretty simple recipe and some of the work can be done ahead of time, either in the morning or over the weekend, and you can whip up a great weeknight dinner in a flash.  The homemade dumplings are light and fluffy inside and really can be made from scratch with only a few ingredients.

4 Chicken Legs Quarters, skin removed
2 Celery Stalks, leaves chopped and stalks cut into 4 pieces
1/2 medium Onion, quartered
1/2 tsp  Ground Black Pepper
3 cups  Flour
4 1/2 tsp  Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp  Salt
6 TB  Butter
1 1/2 cups  Milk
1/2 tsp  Ground Black Pepper

Add skinned chicken quarters, celery and onion to a large soup pot of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and continue to boil for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove quarters from pot and place in a bowl to cool.

To make the chicken and dumplings you will need about 4 cups of the broth in the pot.  If you have more than 4 cups, pour some into a jar or glass bowl and store in refrigerator for another use.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the onion and larger celery pieces out of the soup pot and discard.  When chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and return chicken pieces to the soup pot.  Increase heat to medium-high.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut butter into slivers and drop into the flour mixture, then use a fork to blend the butter into the flour until fully combined.  Add milk and blend just until the dough holds together.

When the chicken broth comes to a a low boil, drop dough by rounded tablespoons on top of the bubbling broth.  Adjust heat so broth just simmers, then simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes;  cover and simmer 10 minutes longer.  Spoon chicken and dumplings into soup bowls and serve.  Makes about 8 servings.