CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS~~WEST VIRGINIA STYLE

Steps:

• 1. COOKING THE CHICKEN: In a dutch oven or another large covered pot, put the chicken & enough water to cover. The amount of chicken you cook is totally a matter of personal preference. Simmer of LOW heat for about 45 minutes, COVERED, until the chicken easily separates with a fork. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. If you used chicken with bones, you may need to strain the chicken broth into a bowl, rinse out the pot, then return the broth to the pot to avoid getting little pieces of bone in your food. I also feel the need to remove any pieces of fat left behind. When the chicken is cooled enough, cut or tear it off the bones into smaller pieces and return it to the broth. Throw away the skin, too. No time to cook? Buy a cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, bring it home, and take at least half of the meat off the bone. You'll probably need about THREE cans of chicken broth to heat up in the pot.
• 2. Now look at the chicken pieces in broth. If you cooked the chicken with skin, the broth is probably rich enough. If you just cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, there is probably very little chicken flavoring to the broth. In this case, add a can or two of chicken broth. The broth should cover the chicken with another inch above. Add a little more water, if needed. Heat to boiling over medium-low heat.
• 3. MAKING THE DUMPLINGS: While the broth is heating up, make the biscuit dough. If you're using my biscuit recipe, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and parsley in a medium bowl. Cut in the Crisco with a pastry cutter or my favorite large meat fork from my silverware set. When the flour, etc... resembles small gravel, make a "well" and slowly add the milk, stirring until you have a soft dough. Let it rest while waiting for the broth to boil. Short on time or supplies? Make dumplings using the recipe from the Bisquick box. OR thaw out frozen biscuits and cut into quarters. OR whomp that can of biscuits and use those. We won't tell. =^..^=
• 4. Add salt & pepper, if desired, and stir the chicken off the bottom of the pot one last time. Then drop the biscuit dough into the boiling broth using a heaping regular tablespoon. Repeat until all the biscuit dough is in the broth. NO MORE STIRRING ONCE THE DUMPLINGS ARE IN THE BROTH!
• 5. Leaving the contents of the pot on a slow simmer, set the timer for 10 minutes. Cook UNCOVERED.
• 6. At the end of 10 minutes, COVER the pot and cook 10 minutes more.
• 7. Serve the chicken & dumplings immediately. Serving suggestion: in West Virginia, this dish is often ladled over a mound of mashed potatoes, with a side of homemade applesauce or cranberry jelly. =^..^=