Improved Chicken & Dumplings

This is a classic Southern recipe. The version I learned from my grandmother in North Carolina was stripped down simple: just a whole chicken, boiled in "stock" made from water and Campbell's condensed chicken broth, and dumplings made from flour and Crisco. It was my go-to comfort food as a child, but these days I find myself wanting more out of this dish. I decided to amp it up by treating the first half of the recipe - boiling the chicken - like making chicken stock, and the second half - boiling the dumplings - like making chicken soup.

First, I picked up the classic chicken soup veggies: onions, celery, and carrots. Then I took the leftover bits from the vegetable mis en place and added them to the boiling stockpot while the chicken cooked - waste not, want not! I also added in the spices typically found in stock recipes: whole black peppercorns, thyme, and a bay leaf. Finally, I switched out Campbell's condensed chicken stock for Better Than Bouillon. For the second half, I updated the dumplings to include leavening and swapped the water for milk, then added the chopped veggies in with the dumplings to cook side by side.

Bring to a boil in a large stock pot:
12 cups of water
4 tbsp. "Better Than Bouillon" chicken base, reduced sodium

Add:
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 large spring of fresh thyme, whole
1 whole head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
celery: about 1 stick worth of tops and bottoms
top and bottom of 1 onion
tops, bottoms, and peels of 4 medium carrots
4-5 lb chicken
* Remove the giblets from the chicken's cavity and toss them in as well.  Include the heart, gizzard, and neck if you have them, but discard the liver - it will add off flavors to the broth.

Boil covered for 45-60 minutes, rotating the chicken once about half way through. When finished, set the whole chicken aside to cool in a large bowl.

Strain the stock to remove solids, then pour it back into the pot and return to a boil. Meanwhile, make the dumplings.

Dumplings
Mix in a food processor:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder

1.5 tsp. salt
0.5 cups cold Crisco solid vegetable shortening

Add and process just to combine:
~1 cup milk (or cold water), as needed (just enough to bring the dough together)

Roll out dumplings about 1/8” thick on a floured counter top. Cut into ~2" squares (a pizza wheel is excellent for this).

Add to boiling stock for 20 min:
dumpling squares

Simmer covered over medium low heat, about 20 minutes until pastry is mostly cooked. Leave the lid slightly ajar to avoid boil over. Stir once or twice to redistribute the dumplings floating on top. 

Add and boil a further 20 min:

1 white onion, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
3 sticks celery, chopped
4 springs of fresh thyme, tied together

To finish, pick all the meat off of the chicken carcass and return it to the pot.  Squeeze one half lemon into the pot. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. 

Shopping list
4-5 lb. whole chicken
fresh thyme
whole head of garlic
1 white onion
4 medium carrots
celery (3 stalks)

lemon

Check the pantry
Better than Bouillon chicken stock base, 4 tbsp.
Crisco vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup
all purpose flour, 3 cups
bay leaves
whole black peppercorns