Chicken & Dumplings

This recipe is an old one that my grandmother has been making for years. I thought with being in the middle of winter it would be an ideal recipe to share today. :) Nothing fills & warms the belly quite like homemade chicken & dumplings - especially if served with homemade bread.

Chicken & broth:

One chicken cut into serving size pieces. Cover chicken with water and add 2 ribs of celery and 2 carrots, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. When chicken is cooked through, remove vegetables. You can leave the chicken in or you can remove and debone it if desired.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
4 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon shortening
1 teaspoon salt

Place flour in mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add egg yolks, salt, water, and shortening. With a fork start blending the ingredients together. When the fork has gone as far as it can go, start blending with fingers until all blended. Remove dough to a floured surface and knead. Divide dough in half and roll out thin. Cut into one inch strips. Break the strips into tidbits as you drop them into the boiling broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Edited to Add: My grandmother does not really measure too much for recipes such as this, and often has to guess an approximation. As we were making this for dinner last night we realized the amount of water needed for the dumpling dough is off by quite a bit. It is rather a stiff dough, but you'll want to add enough water, one tablespoon at a time until you have a pliable dough that is not crumbly and that you can work with. I think Corey ended up using about 5 1/2 tablespoons of water by the time he was done.