Chicken and Dumplings

I consider this more of an improvisational soup.  It's something you can throw together in a pinch.  Upon further research, it seems the thicker, more stew like chicken and dumplings you often see almost always contains either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom condensed soup in it.  I admit that that version does look appetizing and would love to try it someday.  The version I made, however, is simply chicken soup with of course the prerequisite chicken and dumplings and whatever vegetables you have on hand.  It is hearty soup with tender dumplings.


ingredients:
Soup
1.  Chicken stock
2.  Carrots, celery, onions
3.  Chicken thighs

Dumplings
makes around 20 1 TBL dumplings.  enough for 4-5 people
4.  1 cup of ap flour
5.  1 TBL baking powder
6.  healthy pinch of salt
7.  1 cup of milk


recipe:
1.  Put chicken stock into a pot over high heat.
2.  Cut up vegetables into spoon sized chunks and throw it into the stock.
3.  Throw chicken thighs into the stock.
4.  After soup comes up to a boil, lower heat to medium-low and cook just until the chicken thighs are cooked through.  Take out the thighs and put them onto a cutting board to cool.
5.  Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix.  Add milk and mix until all the flour is dissolved and a rough ball forms.  The dough should be wet, but workable.  It should not be too firm or smooth but it also shouldn't be too wet and sticky.
6.  Put the heat back up to high, then taste the soup and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
7.  Only AFTER the soup has come back to a boil, take 2 forks and cut off about 1 TBL of dough.  Shape it into a rough ball with both forks, then scrape it into the boiling soup (4-5 dumplings per person). Repeat this until the soup is almost entirely covered in dumplings.  Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
note: - I made an alternative dumpling where you roll it into a sheet and cut thin squares of dough.  I found little to no difference in the quality of the dumpling.  In fact, I found the ball dumpling slightly better because it was thicker and slightly more tender.  The ball dumpling also requires far less work.
8.  While the dumpling cooks, shred the chicken into spoon sized chunks.  Discard the skin.
9.  After 10 min, take the cover off the pot and try 1 dumpling.  If the inside is fully cooked, serve immediately.  If the inside still needs a little more time, cover and cook another 5 minutes.
10.  Add some chicken pieces to an individual bowl then spoon soup and dumplings over it.  Serve and enjoy.