Chicken and Dumplings-Week 2

Hi! It was my choice this time, and I picked out this. Andrew favors fowl...

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe:
1 chicken or chicken pieces, about 4.5-5.5 lbs (we used boneless, but remember it swells!)
4 cups of water
4 cups of chicken broth (generally a box is about 4 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried leaf thyme (Don't worry if it seems strong, it will become much fainter after cooking)
2 carrots, cut into chunks (opt)
2 ribs celery, cut in chunks (opt)
1 medium onion, cut into chunks (opt)
(the previously mentioned three items are used for the broth)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
2-4 tbs butter
*Alterations by us: No Carrots, No Celery*

Directions:
1. Wash chicken and place into a large stockpot; add water and chicken broth. Add the 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, thyme, carrots, celery, and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 60-75 minutes, or until chicken is very tender.
2. Remove chicken to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Strain broth into another bowl, then pour back into the stockpot discarding the solids.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. With ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk just until dough clumps together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead about 5 times. Roll the dough out to about 1/8" thickness and cut into 3x1 inch strips or squares. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter. (We didn't use rolled dumplings, we rolled out the dough and then made small ball-like shapes).
4. Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Stir in the 1 cup of milk and the butter. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Drop the dumplings, a few at a time, into the boiling chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

6. Meanwhile, remove cooled chicken from bones and cut into pieces. Add the chicken pieces to the simmering broth and heat through.


Our Opinion:
Andrew- I like it; it is different from the chicken and dumplings than I've had as a child, and is probably the first time I've had it in a decade, but I really like it. I like it more than the crack dip.
Lacey- AMAZING! It was SO GOOD. There was almost too much chicken for the broth, so be careful of how much you use if you're using boneless. The variations we made to the recipes didn't make it taste bad or anything. I think, if anything, it made it better. The yield is also very large.