Chicken Stew with Dumplings

The weather has really cooled off this week and yesterday it was rainy and cold. I was craving some kind of soup and ended up making this. It was really yummy and total comfort food.

STEW:
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken)
5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 pound new potatoes, quartered
3 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces (I just used baby carrots)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 (10oz) package frozen peas

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add all the ingredients except the chicken and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked chicken.

Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in 1 cup of half and half, cream or milk and stir into soup mixture. This step is optional but helps to thicken the stew a little bit.

DUMPLINGS:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley (I just used a few shakes of dried)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and parsley. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into simmering stew. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are tender.