Homestyle Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

Whole chicken

1 (about 3 to 4 pounds)

Water

8 cups

Salt

1 teaspoon

Black pepper

1/2 teaspoon

Onion

1, diced

Carrots

2, peeled and diced

Celery

2 stalks, diced

All-purpose flour

2 cups

Baking powder

1 tablespoon

Butter

1/2 cup, cold and cubed

Milk

1 cup

Instructions

1. In a large pot, combine the chicken, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 1 hour.
2. Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
3. While the chicken cools, add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the chicken broth and let it simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir until a dough forms.
5. Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering pot, cover, and let it cook for about 15 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through and fluffy.
6. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until heated through. Adjust seasoning if needed.