Jim's Chicken and Dumplings

Dad was a terrific cook, down-home done gone gourmet kinda cook. He was in the country club restaurant bidness in Texas and Arkansas and loved his work.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2-3  lbs whole chickens
• 1  small onion, pealed and cut in half
• 1  carrot, scraped and cut into chuncks
• 0.5 (10 1/2ounce) can  cream of chicken soup
•  salt and pepper

• Dumplings

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  egg
• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 3⁄4-1  cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Cover with water and boil until tender.
2. Remove and debone chicken.
3. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Degrease broth.
5. For the dumplings:
6. Cut the shortening into the flour with a fork until it looks like coarse cornmeal.
7. Add egg and enough milk to make a ball that's a little sticky.
8. Knead a few times and and roll out about 1/8 inch thick (12 inch by 14 inch rectangle)
9. Cut into narrow strips (1 to 1 1/2 inch wide).
10. To proceed:
11. Boil broth.
12. Add 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup.
13. drop dumplings into boiling broth.
14. Add chicken pieces.
15. Simmer until dumplings are tender.
16. Adjust seasonings and add milk to taste.
17. Thicken with roux if necessary.