Chicken and Dumplings

My 15 year old grand daughter Aliza was over today and she wanted to learn how to make Chicken and Dumplings. Oh how I wish I had thought to take a picture when they were done. She did and excellent job!
The dumplings came out nice and tender and were not gummy. :) I am really proud of the job she did. She is going to be quite a good cook when she gets older. She is good at following directions and excellent at paying attention when some one is telling her how to do something. I told her if she decides to go to Culinary School that I would gladly be her first Guinea pig when it came to taste tasting her creations.

While I forgot to take a picture I can give you the recipe. This is one that I came up with on my own when I was trying to learning to make Chicken and Dumplings. It took me 3 tries before I got them the way we like them. This recipe makes a double batch that will feed 4 adults or two adults and 4 small kids of course all this depends on how much each person eats.

Chicken and Dumplings

4 quarts chicken broth
2 -3 cups cooked shredded chicken
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups shortening
2/3 - 1 cup milk

Place broth and chicken in a large pot and let simmer while making the dumplings. Mean while mix the dry ingredient in a large bowl. Add shortening and cut in till mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add enough milk to make a stiff dough. Turn out dough on to a smooth floured surface and knead 5-6 times. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut dough into squares about 2 x 2 inches. Drop the squares into the broth one at a time until all are added. Once the last dumpling is added cover the pot and let cook 10 minutes. Turn off heat and serve in bowls and add some of the broth. Make a nice warm filling meal for a cold winters night. :)