Monday's Chicken Dumpling Soup (made Sunday!) $3.31

Today is one of those "plan ahead" days.  And here in Chicagoland it's cool, windy and rainy.  Emphasis on rainy and icky!  Perfect day for cooking soup!

Here's one of my friends Grandma's recipes (adapted)

Chicken Dumpling Soup

One Whole Chicken cut up, including any "innards" you got

1 large can low sodium chicken broth .69
1 large carrot .20
1 rib celery .25
1 small onion .20
water
fresh ground pepper

3 chicken boullion cubes (or pkgs herb-ox)

3 large carrots, cut into med-thin coins .60
3 ribs celery, cut into med-thin slices .75
3/4 medium onion - cut in medium chunks .20

In medium/large soup pot, place chicken & "parts" and broth along with 1 peeled carrot, 1 rib of celery, and small onion, each quartered.  Fill pot to the top with water - add a few twists of fresh ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, stay close and skim foam from the top.  Do not reduce heat until all foam is removed.  Then, reduce heat and add the boullion/herb-ox.  Simmer at least one, perferrably two hours.  Skim foam as needed.  Remove chicken chunks and veggies. 

Discard veggies and cool chicken so you can seperate.  Add the other veggies and simmer for one to two more hours.  Next add as much shredded chicken as you desire, I recommend part of the dark meat and one of the breasts.  Reserve the remaining meat for another meal later in the week.  (If you made too much broth for the amount of soup you desire, save it for another time when we want chicken broth!)

1/2 hour before eating (on Monday night!), combine:

Dumplings

3 eggs, beaten.27

1/2 c. water

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder.05

1 1/4 cups flour.10

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, water, salt, pepper and baking powder.  Then add flour until dough is very thick.  Bring soup to a boil, Heat small metal teaspoon in soup for 5 seconds, Dip spook in dumplin mix and drop about a teaspoon of dough into soup.  Continue process until all dumplings are in.  Cook about 15 minutes until dumplings are done.

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If you don't like dumplings, or are pressed for time, bring soup to a boil and add Kluski noodles... they're the best in soup like this.  Cook per directions on bag of noodles.

What I really should be showing you here is an empty bowl... that's what we get at the end of one of the soup making nights!  YUMMY!

Total $ 3.31