Chicken and Dumplings - Recipe by request

Sue asked for my recipe and I sure don't mind sharing. I actually have two that I use depending on the amount of time I have to devote to cooking.

Original Chicken and Dumplings
1 3-pound chicken
4 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the chicken in a large pot, add water, broth, carrot, onion, celery and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat. Simmer until tender and chicken is done. Remove chicken and allow it to cool enough to handle. Remove the carrot, onion and celery pieces from the broth and discard. Reserve the broth. Bone the chicken tear into bite-size pieces and return to broth.

Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk

For the dumplings, combine the flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is consistency of coarse meal. Add the buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. Pinch off bite-size pieces.

Drop dumplings in simmering broth and cook until done.

Fast Man's Chicken and Dumplings
This is the recipe I use if I'm in a hurry or don't have a bunch of time. Total cook time is 20 minutes.

2 large cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 small cans chicken broth
1 large can of white chicken meat
dash of celery salt, onion powder, and 1/2 grated carrot
two cans of biscuits.

I dump the soup, broth, and chicken meat in a pot and add the celery salt, onion powder, and carrot. Bring to a low boil. Quarter biscuits and drop in hot soup mix. Cook until done.

My family likes this one almost as well as the original, but only because they get it more often.

Enjoy!