Chicken Stew with Never Fail Dumplings

Steps

1. Slice celery and dice onion. Place in large pot with tight fitting lid. Add bay leaf, sprig of fresh rosemary, whole chicken and water and simmer with lid on for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and starting to fall off the bone.

2. Remove chicken and let cool. Remove and discard skin and cut chicken through the bone into serving size pieces. Discard bay leaf.

3. Wash potatoes and cut into quarters or large chunks. Cut the carrots into quarters (or halves depending on size) length-wise and add to hot stock with salt, pepper and the chicken pieces and simmer with lid on for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

4. To thicken, mix flour with cold water and stir to form a smooth paste. Add some hot stock to the flour mixture and mix into stew. Simmer another 5 or so minutes until it thickens.

5. Stir in frozen peas.

6. To make dumplings mix together the flour, cornmeal and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in milk and oil and mix until just moistened.

7. Drop 6 mounds of dumpling batter approximately ¼ cup – 60 mL each by spoonfuls into the simmering stew.

8. Cover with lid and simmer over medium low heat for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre of dumplings comes out clean. Don’t lift the lid or peek as the dumplings need to steam.