Chicken & Dumplings

When N and I were first married, my go-to recipe book was one that he already had on his shelf-- a reprinted 1969 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook.  I still have it, although the spine has long since deteriorated to the point of exposing the base material that's still holding it all together.


Despite the fact I've come to rely heavily on the internet for my recipe searches, I still have a few favorite, dependable recipes I open that Betty Crocker Cookbook to use.  One of them is for "Chicken and Dumplings". Sorry Betty, I'm not true to your printed word any longer and going by the scribbled notes in the margin, I never did.  The main change?  I no longer use a whole fryer.  If I did, N and I would eat every morsel and probably even suck the meat off neck.  That's how much we love a fricasseed chicken.
After looking around at some of my favorite food blogs, I see more additions/changes I'd like to try;  carrots, celery, peas, turmeric or even adding cornmeal to the dumplings.
Here are the changes I've already adopted over the years: chicken broth for the water,  a diced onion and large garlic clove- sautéed before adding broth, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pinches of rosemary, a bay leaf, 1 tsp of thyme, pinch of tarragon & sage, and a couple of dashes of chili powder.