Chicken And Lemon And Herb Dumplings

For the Chicken and Vegetables

• 1 whole chicken, approximately 3 to 5 pounds
• 8 to 10 cups water (if you happen to have stock, you can use that instead of water)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds or at an angle
• 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced into rounds or at an angle
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the chicken and place in a pot or dutch oven. Pour in water, season with salt, and bring to a boil on high. Reduce heat to medium high, and keep at a low boil until chicken is tender; it takes approximately 1 to 2 hours. Note: if using water, I boil the chicken for about 2 hours so that the broth is tastier.
2. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool; pour broth into a container. Add a small amount of olive oil to the bottom of the pot, add the onion and saute until they soften. Add the celery, carrot, and parsnip, and saute until the vegetables begin to soften. The onion will be translucent. Add the broth back to the pot and simmer for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, just until the vegetables are tender.
3. While the vegetables are cooking in the broth, remove the meat and skin from the chicken. Set them aside, covered, and start the biscuit dough.

The Dumplings and Finishing the Dish

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
• 4 tablespoons cold butter (I used salted, but unsalted is fine)
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup milk (whole is preferable, but 1 or 2% is fine)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, herbs and lemon zest. Cut in the vegetable shortening and butter until it resembles peas. Add the milk and mix just until combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead for a minute or two, and pat into a disc approximately 1/2 inch thick. I use the smallest biscuit cutter or a cordial glass to cut the dough into small, round shapes.
2. Bring the broth and vegetables to a boil and drop in the dumplings. Don't overcrowd, as you don't want the dumplings to absorb all the liquid (you can always bake the remaining biscuit dough or make pot pies from the leftovers). Boil the dumplings in the broth for approximately 10 to 15 minutes; they will thicken the soup substantially and will partially break down a bit.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the chicken, and serve. I like to garnish with chopped parsley and/or a few snips of chives.
4. NOTE: I normally would not knead biscuit dough -- as a matter of fact, it is supposed to be handled as little as possible. But for this recipe, I wanted to develop the gluten so the dumplings don't fall apart when cooking. I found that about a minute of gentle kneading helped hold the dumplings together.