1 whole chicken (3 to 4 lb.)
1 small carrot
1 stalk celery
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 c. flour
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. milk
1/2 stick butter

Wash chicken and place in a large pot with enough water to cover well. Add salt, pepper, carrot and celery. Bring to a boil; lower heat and cook at a gentle boil for about 45 minutes to an hour. Be sure to add more water if it gets low.

When chicken is very tender, remove chicken, carrot and celery from broth; discard vegetables. When chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones. Add meat back to the broth. If the chicken broth does not have a good amount of fat on top, add a half stick of butter.

3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. milk or more

Sift flour and salt into a bowl; cut in shortening. Stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough, but don't overwork. Roll dough thin and cut into strips about an inch or two wide and about three-inches long. Coat the dumplings well with flour and let them air dry for an hour or two. You can make these as you put the chicken on to cook and let them dry until the chicken and broth are ready.

Bring chicken and broth to a boil. Drop dumplings into pot, a few at a time, keeping the broth at a gentle boil. When all dumplings are in, lower heat, cover and simmer for a few minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

An easier way is to thin dough with more milk and spoon dumplings into boiling chicken and broth mixture as directed. It is faster, but the dumplings will be softer and moister. You can also add a can of cream of chicken soup to make the dumplings richer. I don't think Granny would have minded us saving time!