Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

I had the urge to cook today, mostly because I wanted homemade chicken noodle soup. Being sick makes me crave soup and pudding, for some reason. I can't stand the canned stuff, and last time I made "Mrs. Grass'"noodle soup, it tasted fishy. Nasty I know, but it did! Here's what I came up with today, by combining my favorite chicken and dumplings soup recipe with Southern Living's chunky chicken noodle soup...it tasted really good. Adam had 2 bowls! It makes a lot.

Chicken and Dumplings
(or Chicken Noodle Soup, if you prefer)

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3-4 lbs. chicken pieces (or 3-4 breasts - what I use)
1 small onion, chopped (I use 1/2 of a Vidalia)
2-4 ribs celery, sliced thin
4 cups water, plus 1 cup water
2 cups chicken stock/broth
1 bay leaf
5-6 chicken boullion cubes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
4 med. sized carrots, chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
*kluski egg noodles - the straight, skinny kind - I get mine in the Dutch section at Meijer! - As many as you want - a few handfuls is what I used

Dumplings:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2/3 cup milk
1 lg. egg
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the chicken pieces and brown them on each side for 2 minutes. Stir in the onion and celery. Saute briefly and then add 4 cups of water, 2 cups of broth, bay leaf, boullion cubes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken, add the carrots to the pot (add uncooked noodles, if you choose to skip dumplings and do noodles) cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the carrots/noodles are mostly tender.
3. Meanwhile, shred chicken breasts with 2 forks. Set aside meat. Whisk together the flour and the remaining 1 cup of water in a sm. bowl until smooth. Add the mixture and the chicken meat to the simmering saucepan. Cover and continue to simmer.
4. To prepare the dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the milk, egg, and oil. Stir briskly to make a batter. For each dumpling, spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into the simmering broth. They can overlap a bit, or you can push them around to make room. Cover and simmer for another 13-15 minutes, WITHOUT stirring. Serve hot.
*If you choose not to do the dumplings, I could see some fresh, chopped parsley being good in the soup. I served it with "beer bread" with butter and honey. Comfort food at it's best! :)

*recipe is a combination of recipes from Carrie Douglas, Southern Living, and me!