Amanda's Chicken and Dumplings

My dumplings sort of disintegrated into the soup, but it still was delicious and hearty. About a cup of it filled me up. I am on a soup kick (as if you haven't noticed.) I think this cold weather has me thinking of warming foods and I love homemade-from-scratch soups. My husband who doesn't really like soup enjoyed this one tonight but he did ask if we have any red meat in the house. The fennel lends a different taste than most Chicken and Dumpling recipes.
-Amanda

Amanda's Chicken and Dumplings

soup:
2 chicken breasts bone in and skin on
2 large carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 cloves garlic
1 onion (I used my last leek up, but either would work)
1 tbsp flour
5 cups of water
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp fennel
1 bay leaf

dumplings:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup of milk (I originally had 1 cup of milk, which made the batter too loose.)

Chop your onion (or leek) into a small dice. Mince the garlic. Spray a medium stockpot with cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic on medium low heat. Peel carrots and cut them lengthwise. Cut them into 1/2 rounds. Cut the celery into small pieces also. Add the carrots and celery to the onions. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings (thyme, fennel, bay, salt and pepper.) Sprinkle one tbsp of flour over vegetables and stir until moistened. Add 4-5 cups of water stirring until the flour is mixed in. Add whole chicken breasts in. I remove the skin so the soup isn't as oily. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat until chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes. Do not boil the chicken or it will dry out. Remove chicken from pot when it is cooked through and set it on a cutting board to cool down. Shred it with two forks for your fingers.

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening and cut it in using two butter knives or a pastry cutter. Stir in milk.

Bring soup to a rapid boil. Scoop about 1 tbsp of dough onto a spoon. With a second spoon, shape it into a ball and drop the dough into the boiling soup. Use most of the dough this way*. Boil the soup for about 10-12 minutes or until the dough is cooked through. Remove from heat and add shredded chicken back into the soup. If soup is too thick add more water. Serves 8-10.

*with remaining dough, grease a cookie sheet and dollop the dough into mounds about 1 1/2 tbsp. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes for easy drop biscuits.