Shawn's Cracker Barrel Style Chicken and Dumplings

This is my version of the creamy style chicken and dumplings that are so good at that great southern cooking restaurant Cracker Barrell this is old fashioned and sure to stick to your ribs. Warms your heart any time of year.optional: instead of making the dumplings yourself you can use a box of Anne's flat dumplings from the freezer section of the grocery store

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• dumplins

• 2  cups flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  whole milk
• 4  tablespoons  oil
• 8  cups water
• 3  chicken bouillon cubes

• chicken

• 1  whole chicken, cut up
• 1  garlic clove, left whole
• 1  stalk celery, cut into 4 pieces
•  salt
•  pepper
• 1  onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2  bouillon cubes

• Sauce

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup  dumpling water (about a ladel full) or 1⁄2 cup  chicken water (about a ladel full)
• 1  teaspoon  chicken base

Directions

1. boil chicken at a low boil in very large dutch oven with celery, onion, and garlic. season with salt and pepper, add chicken bouillon.
2. let chicken low boil for about 1 hour.
3. remove all chicken, celery, onion, and garlic from pot- let cool until you can work with the chicken. debone chicken and shred a little with hands. discard celery, onion and garlic.
4. in bowl mix dumpling ingredients well and turn onto a floured surface. knead 5-6 times and divide into 2 parts.
5. roll out one section into 1/8" thickness and cut into 1" squaresrepeat with other section.
6. in large pot boil water with 3 bouillon cubes.
7. cook about half of the dumplins unitl just about cooked through remove, strain and set aside. repeat until all are done.
8. in sauce pot melt butter add salt and flour and whisk together. once incorporated increase heat to medium high.
9. add milk and whisk until smooth, whisk in chicken base unitl disolved into mixture reduce heat to a low simmer.
10. add the 1/2 cup of cooking water (either the dumpling liquid or the chicken water) simmer whisking to make sure there are no lumps. remove from heat.
11. bring chicken water to a boil, return chicken to the pot and add dumplings.
12. scoop out one ladel of sauce and add to chicken pot stirring constantly. continue to add ladel at a time until the desired thickness you like is achieved.
13. taste for seasoning. serve in deep bowls!