Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings - chicken

Method

• Place chicken with the skin on, in a large pot, just covered with water.
• Boil chicken until fork-tender (about an hour), adding water as needed to keep chicken just submerged.
• Remove from heat and use a slotted spoon or tongs to pull chicken out of broth.
• Pull the pot of broth off of the heat and set it aside.
• Let the chicken cool until it can be handled without burning yourself.
• De-bone chicken, removing skin and gristle, and set meat aside.
• Discard bones.
• While chicken is cooling, prepare dumplings.
• Mix flour, shortening, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
• Slowly add up to 1 cup of milk until a soft dough forms.
• Sprinkle your work surface and rolling-pin with flour.
• Roll dough as thinly as possible, between 1/8 and 1/4 thick.
• Cut into squares with a knife or pizza cutter and let the dough dry while preparing chicken and broth.
• Skim surface of the broth to remove any scum and discard the scum.
• Bring broth to a boil and add butter and 1/4 cup of milk.
• Once broth has reached a rolling boil, add a single layer of dumplings.
• Wait until broth boils up over the dumplings and add another layer of dumplings and allow them to cook.
• Continue until all dumplings are boiling.
• Stir in chicken and boil for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through.
• (Test by cutting a dumpling in half if it looks done and isnt gooey, then you are ready).
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.