Grits Casserole

1 chicken, cut into pieces
1 onion
3 large carrots, cut into thirds
3 stalks celery, cut into thirds
8 cups water
kosher salt and coarse-ground pepper to taste

Dumplings:

1¾ cups flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup shortening or lard
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Optional:

4 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream or milk

In a large pot, combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery, and season to taste.

Add water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. While broth is simmering, prepare dumplings.

With a fork, combine flour, baking powder, salt and shortening until all ingredients are blended. Add milk a little at a time, and mix until combined (you may not need all of it; you want a soft but not sticky dough).

Knead a few times on a floured surface until the dough is smooth. Generously flour your surface, and roll the dough out to ⅛″ thick. Cut dough into 1″ x 2″ strips.

Remove chicken and vegetables from the broth. Discard skin and bones and veggies, chop remaining chicken, and set it aside.

Gently add dumplings to the broth. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Remove dumplings, and set aside. Stir chicken into the broth, and cook about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

If you like a thicker broth, combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons water and whisk thoroughly. Stir into the broth, and let it simmer about 5 minutes. Add cream or milk if desired.

Add in dumplings, and let simmer another 5 minutes before serving.