Chicken and Dumplings

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into large or small pieces (your preference)

1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrot

1 Tbsp. fresh lightly chopped Thyme (or 2 tsp dry)

1/4 cup flour

3 cups Chicken Broth (Wolfgang Puck Organic is terrific!)

1 Cup Water

1/2 C White Wine

3 Tbsp. 1/2 n 1/2

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

For Dumplings:

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. fresh thyme

3/8 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. real unsalted cold butter

1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk)

In a medium pot, heat enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to lightly coat bottom of pan, over med-high heat. Add Chicken and onion, season with salt and pepper. Saute until chicken is lightly browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Add Celery, Carrot and Thyme, saute 4 minutes, stirring well. Sprinkle flour over chicken veggie mixture, cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add wine to the pot, stir, and simmer 1 minute. Add the broth and water. Cover and just barely simmer for 20-25 minutes.

While this is simmering, make a Dumpling dough in a small bowl; mix all the dry stuff. Add the butter, crumbling it in with your fingers until you have clumps of butter all through. Stir in the milk, just until mixed.

After the 25 minute simmer time, stir in the 1/2 n 1/2. Drop small blobs of dough into the pot of simmering soup. They can be any size you want, so if you want a lot of little dumplings, make little blobs. :)

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, don't allow to boil, just simmer. Dunk your dumplings gently, cover and simmer another 5 minutes.