Elswet's Creole Style Chicken & Dumplings

There are hundreds, even thousands, of different ways to make this dish. I've had a few of them, but this one is my absolute favorite. I'm new to the world of chicken and dumplings, but my Lady assures me this is not your typical Southern Style chicken and dumplings. It's more Creole style. It's a little more difficult than some versions, and somewhat involved, but the end result far surpasses anything else I've tried in the Chicken & Dumpling World. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• Chicken and Gravy

• 3  lbs roasting chickens, disjoined
•  salt and pepper
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  quarts water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 1  teaspoon ground rosemary
• 2⁄3 teaspoon  ground thyme
• 1⁄2 cup  white  Chardonnay wine

• Dumplings

• 3⁄4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1  egg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  sassafras leaves, ground (aka Gumbo File)
• 1⁄3 cup milk

Directions

1. Chicken: Place chicken pieces into a large pot. Add water, salt and pepper and bay leaf to the chicken pieces, enough to cover the chicken.
2. Partially cover your pot and cook on medium until tender. Simmer gently, do not allow the pot to boil! The chicken will take 3 or 4 hours. When tender, remove the pieces from the broth, and keep warm.
3. Gravy: There should be 3-4 cups of broth in the pot. Skim off the fat and measure the broth. For each cup of skimmed broth, mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of the fat with the same amount of flour.
4. Stir several spoonfuls of the hot broth into the fat-flour mixture, and then pour the mixture back into the broth in the kettle.
5. Cook the gravy until it is slightly thickened. Add sage, rosemary, and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Dumplings: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat the egg, add the milk to the egg, and mix with the dry ingredients.
7. Drop by spoonfuls into the simmering chicken gravy, or roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 1 inch by 2-inch pieces and drop into the gravy.
8. Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes. The cover must NOT be removed, while the dumplings are cooking.
9. Debone the chicken, add back to pot. Add white wine and Gumbo File (ground sassafras leaves), stir and let heat for 8 minutes.
10. Serve.