Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

When I think back to my childhood and my all time favorite comfort foods, my mom's Chicken and Dumplings definitely was and is at the top of the list. It's SO yummy and perfect for a cool Fall or Winter day. My favorite part was always watching the dumplings cook right in the boiling broth-I thought that was SO cool! :)

It's a mix between a soup and a chicken stew so I put it under both categories.

Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients or the length of time to make this. You're not actually slaving over the stove the whole time, so it's not as bad as it looks and it's SO worth it!

Here's The recipe:

Chicken Soup/ Stew Ingredients:
3-4 Lb. Stewing Chicken (Or I use 1-2 Chicken Breasts on the bone)
1/2 Tbsp. Salt (You can use less or more depending on your tastebuds. I like a little less.)
1/2 Onion, Diced
2 Stalks Celery, sliced
2 Carrots (Or 8-10 mini carrots), sliced
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1-2 Potatos, cut up into bite size pieces
1/2 Cup Rice (Optional-I leave this out completely. I think the recipe is filling enough with the potatos and dumplings.)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
3-4 Cups of Water (I try to mix some water with some chicken broth if I have it. If not, water works just fine.)
1/4 Cup Flour

Dumpling Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Tbsp. Parsley
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2/3 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 Egg, slightly beaten

Place the chicken in a large pot. Add the onion, salt, and pepper. Add the cream of chicken soup and cover all with water and/or chicken broth. Cook until chicken is done, anywhere from 1-2 hours.

Remove chicken from pot and add sliced celery and carrots. Remove chicken from bones; cut into pieces.

Combine 1/4 Cup flour with 1/2 Cup water and stir into broth. Heat until it boils and thickens.

Add chicken pieces, potato(s) and rice if you are using rice (1/2 Cup)

Boil gently, until potato and rice is cooked (it's usually cooked by the time I'm finished preparing the dumplings).

Prepare dumplings and drop into broth. Cover and boil gently 12-15 minutes until dumplings are fluffy.

YUMMY-Enjoy!

Serves:4-6

Prep Time: 2-2.5 Hours