I have another chicken and dumplings recipe on my site here, from Jubilee cookbook, which I really loved. This ATK recipe is one I have been making for ages, and it is completely different but also really good.  The dumplings here are more like biscuit dumplings. 
This is one of those recipes that takes only a few basic, cheap ingredients and makes a super satisfying and delicious meal out of them.  I use a whole chicken which I use to make the stock and meat for the stew, but you can also buy chicken stock/rotisserie chicken if in a hurry. 
All you need to make this soup is a chicken, some veggies, seasonings, flour, baking powder and butter or oil, sherry and milk. It does take some time to make if you start with the whole chicken, but it is worth it!
Chicken and Dumplings (ATK Version)
Ingredients
For the chicken/stock:
- 1 whole chicken neck and gizzards removed
- 1/2 onion
- 1 carrot trimmed
- 1 celery rib trimmed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the stew:
- 4 tsp oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 carrots diced
- 4 ribs celery diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme minced or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tbsp parsley minced or 1 tsp dried
- shredded chicken from above
For the dumplings:
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp chicken fat or butter
Instructions
For the chicken/stock:
- Add a tbsp of oil to a deep stock pot and heat over high. Add the whole chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow the skin to brown well on the chicken as this adds flavor to the soup. Flip the chicken and brown the other side as well.
- Add 8 cups of water along with the onion, carrot, celery and a tsp of salt. You can also add a few bay leaves if you like, or other stock seasonings here.
- Cook for 1.5-2 hours over very low heat until the chicken is coming apart and you can easily remove the meat. Remove the chicken and separate the meat from the bones and set aside.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and reserve.
For the stew:
- Wipe out the stock pot and add the oil and butter. Add the chopped veggies and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are translucent. Add in the seasonings and then the sherry. Allow the sherry to almost cook off, then sprinkle the flour over the veggies. Add a little stock at a time, stirring as you add it, so you don't get lumps. Don't pour in all the stock at once or it will create lumps of flour.
- Continue adding broth until it has all been added. Add in the chicken and peas and taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the milk and allow to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
For the dumplings:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter and combine with the milk. Pour into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
- Bring the stew to a simmer over medium low and then drop golf ball sized clumps of the dough onto the top of the stew. Cover with a tight lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until they have doubled in size. Serve with chopped parsley.