Chicken and Dumplings

For Dumplings:
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon shortening
3/4 cup milk
3 strips cooked bacon (crumbled)

For Chicken:
6-8 pieces of chicken (or 1 whole chicken)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning

Cut up the chicken if necessary. If using pieces, just put them in a large pot (6 quart or more). Add 4 cups of water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp poultry seasoning. Cook over medium heat until the chicken is done and about to fall off the bone. Do not boil. How long will depend upon how thick the pieces are, on average 45 minutes. Cook covered.

While the chicken is cooking:
Mix your flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in your shortening and then your milk. You should have a dough that is easy to work. Sprinkle you bacon bits across your mixture and work it in as you slowly add them.

Next flour a countertop or cutting board and place your dough on it. Kneed your dough until it is a consistency you are satisfied with. Then you have two choices - you can roll the dough to about a 1/8" thickness and cut it into nice looking pieces, or you can just pinch off small pieces and shape them into small balls (about half the size of a golf ball).

If you are going to cut them into nice pieces, you can even make fancy shapes. If your children are helping to make the dumpling they sort of enjoy making hearts, stars, squares, etc. Small cookie cutters work nicely for this. Otherwise, just shaping them into ball works fine.

Make sure you have enough liquid to completely cover your dumplings. Turn the heat up to a low boil and slowly add the dumplings. Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Watch the pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.