Nothing warms the heart and soul like a good, steaming bowl of chicken soup on a cold winter's day, especially when there are dumplings in the equation! Count this as one of the comfort foods.

Chicken and Noodles with Dumplings Soup

Soup:
1 (3-pound) stewing chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Water
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large carrot, pared and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons chicken base* or bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 large bay leaf
1/2 cup loose-pack frozen peas (optional)

Easy Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose baking mix
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2/3 cup 2% milk

Noodles:
1 (12-ounce) package egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

Remove the neck and giblets, save in the freezer for another use or discard as desired. Wash chicken inside and out thoroughly. Dry thoroughly with paper towels, inside and out.
Heat the oil over medium heat a large cooking pot and brown whole chicken until golden brown.
Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam and fat that accumulates on the surface.
Add the onion, celery, carrot, salt, pepper and bay leaf; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from the pot. Cool slightly and remove meat from the bones, discarding both the bones and skin; set chicken aside.
Add the chicken base and parsley to broth and return to a boil.
Meanwhile, Prepare Easy Dumplings: Mix dry ingredients together in bowl; add milk and stir with fork just until mixed. Mixture will be soft and slightly lumpy.
Drop dumplings into boiling broth by tablespoonfuls. (Dip the spoon into the hot broth before scooping up the batter, and the dumpling will easily slide off.) Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, without lifting the lid or stirring.
Return the boned chicken to the pot and add the cooked egg noodles and peas, if using, stirring gently so as not to break-up the dumplings.
Ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.

Makes 12 servings.

*I prefer and use Redi-Base soup bases available at www.redibase.com.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): 271.8 calories; 18% calories from fat; 5.5g total fat; 76.7mg cholesterol; 710.0mg sodium; 421.4mg potassium; 23.5g carbohydrates; 1.5g fiber; 4.3g sugar; 22.0g net carbs; 30.2g protein.