the baker's chicken and dumplings

over my past year and a half here in los angeles the baker family [jesse, kim, jess, and lauren] have welcomed me and treated me like family. they jokingly call me their long lost 3rd daughter. kim cooked this for me soon after i arrived in los angeles, and any other time she called and said she had a pot of chicken and dumplings on the stove i immediately got ready to rush over there! this meal will always remind me of them and the warmth they have extended to me. 

The Baker's Chicken and Dumplings

32 oz chicken broth

32 oz vegetable broth

4 - 6 chicken thighs with bones and skin

4 cups water plus 6 cups later

2 tbsp paprika (approx, better to add more because this really makes the flavor of the broth)

sea salt 

1/2 tsp white pepper (approx)

1 - 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (approx)

1/4 cup half & half

3 cups bisquick

1 1/4 cup broth

1 - 2 tbsp half & half

paprika

sea salt

white pepper

fresh ground pepper

combine chicken broth, vegetable broth, 4 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil then add chicken thighs. add paprika, sea salt, white pepper and fresh ground pepper and cook for 1 hour.

remove chicken thighs and 1 1/4 cup of broth

combine bisquick, broth, 1 - 2 tbsp of half & half, and seasonings in a mixing boil. try to knead the dough as little as possible. Roll out dough into a thin sheet then cut in squares.

once the chicken has cooled enough, de-bone your chicken. add the additional 6 cups of water to the broth, bring to a boil, add back chicken and then start dropping in the dumplings one at a time. add 1/4 cup half & half and cook for 20 minutes or until dumplings are done. usually the dumplings will start to fall apart a little, this is good and should thicken the broth but make sure they don't disintegrate completely or stick to the bottom of the pot.