"Chicken and Dumplings"

Surprise, I had a couple of emails asking for my "Chicken and Dumplings" recipe.....I learned to make it from Cecil's mother...my mother made them also, but at that time I was an "Air head" :o) and didn't pay attention to any cooking....I just ate when it was done.:o)
"Chicken and Dumplings" is no more than chicken cooked down (maybe with a piece of country Ham for more flavor.....with strips of flour dough that the only thing added was salt and food coloring (one of my brother in laws wouldn't eat it if it was just plain white color flour, the yellow made him think there were egg yolks in it.) Things were tough for MIL to feed 9 kids and she did the best she could.....It was very confusing for me when I was asked if I wanted "Chicken Pie" and was presented with Chicken with dumplings < Cecil and his siblings had dubbed it "Chicken pie" my idea of chicken pie was with carrots , potatoes, celery and peas within a crust (bottom and top crust).....It took me years to clear up the difference with Cecil, my children understood the difference because I made sure I cleared that one up right away!
The recipe is just use enough flour (I use self rising flour for about everything), sprinkle salt to taste....then add some yellow food coloring to about a cup of water..(or enough to be able to roll out the dough nicely....then I sprinkle a little black pepper on the dough, then I cut it with a pizza cutter (makes it nicer if you have one that gives serrated cuts) into strips and then across for smaller strips about 2 -3 inches long and 2 inches wide (that makes it ideal). but you might change that in time.....let the dough sit out while you cook the chicken....You can make it with chicken wings or chicken backs or a whole chicken.....that too will change once you see how your family likes it.....I used a box of chicken broth this time because I had it..but you can use chicken stock that I get at Sam's club in a jar ...just about a tablespoon is enough to give it some body with the cooked chicken.......You can also get strips already made up in a box "Annie's Dumplings" they are cheap enough so you don't have to do the work...but the work is enjoyable and probably more healthy :o)
Make sure your pot is boiling...you can take your chicken out (if it's done) while you drop the strips into the boiling water....(make sure you sprinkle a little flour on the dough while it sits out) it will be fine when you cook it , that will help to make a nice little gravy to it..(if not make a flour and water paste) be careful, the longer it sits the more water the strips will absorb.
Let it cook about 5 -10 minutes (without stirring< you break up the strips)put the chicken back in and make sure the strips don't stick to the bottom.... then put on back burner and let it sit about 5-10 minutes before eating.Enjoy...
UPDATE: I forgot to say add some fresh celery and onion to the boiling water with the chicken you can remove before adding flour strips.