2 1/2-3 pound whole chicken
4 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Thoroughly wash chicken and place in a large pot. Add water, chicken broth, carrot, onion, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, cover and lower heat. Simmer for 60-70 minutes until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. Discard vegetables from pot, reserving the broth. Skin and de-bone chicken. Cut into bitesize pieces. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender or two forks until it reaches consistency of cornmeal. Add buttermilk and stir just until moistened. Turn mixture out onto a floured surface and knead 4-5 times, no more. Pat dough down to 1/4 inch thickness, pinch off small pieces or cut dough into small strips (1" x 2").
Bring reserved broth to boil, stirring in 1 cup of milk and pepper. Drop dough pieces (dumplings) 1-2 at a time into the boiling broth and reduce heat to medium low. Stir often to make sure dumplings do not stick together. Cook 8-10 minutes, add chicken and simmer until heated through. Remove from heat and serve. Serves 4-6.