Ingredients

serves 6-8

　　One 3-4-pound chicken, cut up

　　2 stalks celery, diced

　　2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

　　1 bay leaf

　　8 cups water

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　4 teaspoons baking powder

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 cup milk

　　1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped

　　Pinch of cayenne pepper

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　One 10 3/4-ounce can cream of chicken soup

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Step 1

Place the chicken pieces, celery, bouillon granules, and bay leaf in a stockpot. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly. Pick the meat off of the bones, discarding the bones and skin; set aside.

　　

Step 2

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the milk and mix well. Add the onions and cayenne, and mix. Drop the batter by tablespoons into the boiling broth until all the batter is used up. Gently shake the pot. (Never stir dumplings with a spoon, as this will tear them up.) Add the parsley and nutmeg, and shake the pot again. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

　　

Step 3

While the dumplings are cooking, heat the soup with 1 can of water in a small saucepan. When the dumplings are done, carefully pour the soup into the dumpling pot. Shake the pot gently. Return the chicken to the pot and again shake the pot, this time in a rotating motion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.