4 chicken breasts ( I use skinless and deboned )
1 can chicken broth (large cans)
1 onion (rough cut)
2 sticks of celery or 1 c. (chopped)
1 can of pet evaporated milk
2 carrots ( sliced diagonaaly)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

Place your chicken into dutch oven pot. Add enough water in pot to cover chicken. Add onions, carrots, bay leaf, salt, pepper and celery and cook for 30 min on medium high (sorta a medium rolling boil). Remove chicken breast and cut into very large pieces, removing any bones and skin, if you didn't before you began to cook them. Place them back into the pot.

To the liquid alread there, add 1 can pet milk and 1 can chicken broth to your pot.

Time to make your dumplins:

Mix together:
1 1/2 c. self rising flour
1/8 c. cooking oil or 2 Tblsp. crisco
enough pet milk to make a fairly stiff dough
1/4 c. chives
pinch of cinnamon
wee bit, (very small pinch) of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
more salt if needed, add it to your taste

Mix until combined. Your dough will be rather stiff.

Drop dough by tablespoon fulls into your pot. Use all the dough. Your pot will be full of dumplins. Lay a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top of your pot and turn down on very low and simmer 20 min. Now your dumplins are done and steamed.

Here is the "flake" part of the dumplins. Add 1/2 cup of instant potato flakes. Mix in well and cook for 3 min. If not thick enough, add an additional 1/2 c. of potato flakes and cook for 5 more minutes, until your broth for you dumplins is a fairly thick consistency. The flakes work so great to thicken up your dumplins and while adding another layer of flavor.

***Be sure to remove bay leaves before serving.

This really is a great dish. Enjoy.

Old Fashioned Southern Chicken and Dumplins

POACHING STOCK AND CHICKEN :
1 chicken or stewing hen (4 or 5 lbs.) - cut up
8 cups water
1 large onion - halved
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery - cut in sticks
celery top leaves (if available)
few sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon, scant, pepper

GRAVY AND VEGETABLES:
1 garlic clove - crushed
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon savory
1 tablespoon fresh parsley - finely minced
2 teaspoons fresh dill - finely minced
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups reserved chicken stock
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
1 1/2 cups milk or half and half
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 cup corn
1/2 cup finely sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
4 small onions - quartered
1 medium potato - peeled and chopped
1 large leek - sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

HERB DUMPLINGS:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh dill - finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley - finely minced
3 tablespoons shortening
3/4 to 1 cup milk

Place chicken, water, onions, carrots, celery tops, parsley, salt and pepper in a 8-10 quart stock pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender (45-60 minutes). Let cool, then remove chicken. Strain stock, reserving carrot and celery, as well as clarified stock. (At this point, you can refrigerate meat and stock overnight or several hours. When ready to finish recipe, remove fat that may have solidified on top).

Gravy and Vegetables: Place chicken in a large heat-proof casserole (a 12-inch x 3-inch brazier or paella style pan works well - anything that can hold a lot of food and liquid). Place vegetables all around and on top of chicken: reserved carrots and celery, peas, corn, fresh carrot and celery, onions, potato, and leek. Sprinkle chicken with the garlic, thyme, sage, savory, parsley, salt and pepper.

In a saucepan, make a roux by heating butter and oil. Add flour and cook to brown flour somewhat, a couple of minutes. Whisk in chicken stock, cream or half and half and white wine. Pour this over chicken, spooning on as evenly as possible.

Dumplings: combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, dill and parsley. Cut in shortening then add milk and stir to make a moistened, thick batter. Drop in dollops, into chicken and gravy. Cover, and place in a preheated 325 F. oven for 30-45 minutes.

Check once in a while to make sure there is sufficient gravy. Add more of the reserved chicken stock if required. If casserole is bubbling a lot, reduce heat to 300 F.

These are dumplins cooking in broth only.