Chicken Dumpling Soup

This is a great recipe to use with pasture raised chicken necks and backs or a stewing hen.

Chicken Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 pounds chicken necks and backs or stewing hen or leftover roast chicken frame
• 8 cups water
• 2 large carrots (sliced)
• 3 large celery stalks (diced)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 6 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Chicken prep:

Put the chicken into a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, and add all the "chicken" ingredients, except for the milk and flour.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

After one hour of cooking, add 2 1/2 cups more water.

When chicken is tender, remove from the broth and allow to cool until it can be handled. When cool enough to handle, remove meat form the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set the meat aside.

Whisk the milk and flour together until smooth, and then pour it into the boiling broth. Continue to whisk as the broth thickens.

Once the broth thickens, add the meat.

Dumplings Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk( or combination)

(While making the dumplings, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.)

Dumpling Prep:

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, using two knives, until it's about the consistency of cornmeal.

Add a small amount of the milk at a time, gently tossing the mixture with a fork to uniformly moisten the dry ingredients.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead lightly 4 or 5 times. Form the dough into golf ball-sized pieces and flatten them to 1/2-inch thick.

When all the dough has been formed into dumplings, gently place the dumplings into the boiling liquid one at a time. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, frequently ladling broth over the dumplings to submerge them and help them cook evenly.

Finish by baking (without the lid) in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve.

Adapted from: Chickens Magazine(Summer 2010)