Chicken and Dumplings

Cold winter days and a hot pot of soup just seem to go together, don't you think? After recently finding a nifty, time-saving trick for shredding cooked chicken breast (use the dough hook on a Kitchen Aid mixer, or the cookie paddles on a Bosch), I turned the pot of broth into Chicken and Dumplings. Believe me - it was yummy and went down well!

12 C. chicken broth
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
Onion flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 C. cooked, shredded chicken

Place all ingredients in a large soup pot and simmer over Medium heat until celery and carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes.  If you don't care for a thin broth, stir in a little flour/water and bring to a boil, as for gravy.  For dumplings, stir together the following ingredients in a medium bowl:

6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. dried chives
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. milk

Drop by small spoonfuls (the size of a whole walnut, or smaller) onto hot soup.  Cook uncovered over Medium heat for 20 minutes, then covered for 20-30 minutes.  And don't peek after the lid goes on!  Dumplings are done when the insides are bready and light colored.  If they're dark or seem a bit doughy, let them simmer a little while longer.