Chicken & Dumplings

Recipe provided by Leslie Ruthland. See her fabulous blog The Seasoned Homemaker at: theseasonedhomemaker.com

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1-2 bay leaves (fresh is best!)
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh is best!)
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Dumpling Ingredients
1-1/2 cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend or Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon thyme
12 tablespoons butter or shortening
6 tablespoons cold water

Alternate Drop Dumplings
2 cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend or Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup chicken broth (dipped out of stew pot and allowed to cool)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh is best!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Add the chicken to a large stock pot and cover with filtered water. Add in the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Once it begins to boil, turn down the burner and let it simmer for about an hour. You will know that the chicken is cooked when it breaks apart easily.
2. Carefully, remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard. Skim off any foam in the pot.
4. You want to keep the chicken stock simmering on low while the chicken is cooling.
5. Once the chicken is cooled, remove the skin and debone the chicken. Return the chicken to the simmering pot.
6. Keep the soup simmering while you make the dumplings. Once the dumplings are ready to add to the pot, bring the soup to a low boil.
7. Making the Dumplings Using a bowl or food processor, blend the dry ingredients together. You can do this with your fingers or by pulsing the food processor.
8. Cut up the butter into 1 T. cubes and add in one or two at a time.
9. Once blended this should have the texture of cornmeal.
10. Slowly add in cold water. You may use a little less that the 6 T. of water. It shouldn't be sticky.
11. Once it forms a ball, turn out onto a piece of parchment paper. Dust the top with a little gluten-free flour.
12. Once it forms a ball, turn out onto a piece of parchment paper. Dust the top with a little gluten-free flour. Add another piece of parchment paper to the top and roll out until it is 1/4” -1/2" thick. I prefer my dumplings a little thicker. Remove parchment paper on top, and using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2" squares.
13. Make sure your soup is set at a low boil. Drop in the dumplings one at a time. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Don't peek or your dumplings will not rise. Serve and savor!
14. Alternate Drop Dumplings Blend all ingredients together and drop large spoonful of dumplings one at a time into soup pot that is set at a low boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Don't peek!