BIG THICKET CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place whole chicken and water into large pot or dutch oven.
• Add poultry seasoning, garlic powder& pepper.
• Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium.
• Cook chicken for about 1 hour or until tender.
• When done, carefully remove chicken from pot; set aside to cool.
• Remove 2 cups of stock and set aside to cool.
• Add celery, onion, carrot and bouillon cubes to remaining stock and continue to cook on simmer.
• While chicken is cooling, prepare dumplings.
• Into large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, poultry seasoning and salt.
• Add margarine and combine until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
• (use a hand mixer) Add eggs and cooled chicken stock (be sure your stock has cooled to"just barely warm") then stir by hand to form a dough.
• Turn out onto floured surface and knead slightly until smooth.
• You may need to divide dough in half and only roll out half at a time.
• Roll out to approximately 1/8-inch thickness.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough in vertical strips about an inch wide.
• Then repeat the process, cutting horizontal strips, which will give you little square dumplings.
• Return chicken stock to a boil; drop dumplings in, a few at a time, as quickly as possible.
• Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking to bottom of pan.
• When done, remove from heat and cover pan.
• Remove skin and debone cooled chicken.
• Cut into bite size pieces then fold into hot dumplings & broth.
• This recipe will serve a family of 4 two main course meals.
• Leftovers can be frozen.