- 1 chicken, about 4 pounds
- 2 carrots, halved
- 6 celery stalks, halved
- 6 black peppercorns
- 6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 8 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
- 1 Rinse the chicken and pat dry. In a soup pot, combine the chicken, carrots, celery, peppercorns, parsley, bay, thyme, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the chicken meat moves easily from the bones, about 1 hour.
- 2 Transfer the chicken to a colander or large sieve set over a bowl. Removethe skin and meat from the bones. Cover and refrigerate the meat until needed and return the skin and bones to the soup pot. Continue to cook, uncovered, for another 2 hours to create a well-flavored broth. Remove from the heat and, using a spoon, skim off the fat from the surface.
- 3 Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. You should have about 8 cups. Put the broth in a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper.
- 4 Meanwhile, make the dumplings: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Add the milk and the capers all at once, stirring vigorously just long enough to mix the ingredients.
- 5 Tear or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- 6 When the broth is at a simmer, add the chicken pieces to the pan. Dip a tablespoon into the simmering broth, then scoop up a tablespoon of the dumpling batter. Using your finger, push it off the spoon into the broth. Repeat until all the batter is in the pan. Cover the pan, bring to a medium boil, and boil until the dumplings are cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- 7 Ladle the soup and dumplings into bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.