Chicken and Slippery Dumplings

Directions

For Stew:

1. Place the chicken in a large, lidded cooking pot.
2. Season the chicken with cayenne pepper and add the bay leaf. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
3. Add the chopped celery, carrots, yams, potatoes, garlic, and onions.
4. Add just enough chicken broth to cover the contents in the pan, and simmer on a medium heat until the chicken is tender and the vegetables are soft, about 1 hour.

For Dumplings:

5. While stew is simmering, mix together 1½ cups of the flour, along with the salt, baking powder, butter, and shortening in a large bowl.
6. Add just enough milk to form a stiff dough.
7. Cover bowl with dough with a dish towel and let sit for about 10 minutes, so the flour can absorb the moisture.
8. Sprinkle the rest of the flour liberally onto parchment paper, onto your work surface, onto your hands, and onto a rolling pin.
9. Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin until it is about ¼-inch thick.
10. Sprinkle the flattened sheet of dough liberally with flour.
11. Cut the dough into squares measuring about 3 inches.

For Assembly:

12. Discard the bay leaf.
13. Add the dumplings gently to the pot, cover, and simmer about 5–10 minutes.