Okay, I did a couple things differently.  For one, I sauted some garlic in olive oil before doing anything else, and added some spices beyond salt and pepper.  (A couple bay leaves, some fresh sage from the front plant of doom, some rosemary, and some onion powder…  would have been fresh onion, but I wasn’t feeling like starting a new onion tonight.  Touch of lazy there.)  I also used more salt and pepper than was called for, and there still wasn’t enough pepper.  One of the few times I have added more post cooking.

1 broiler chicken, cut into (8) pieces, (3-5 lbs)

Water

1/4 tsp black pepper (1 tsp?  2 tsps?  more?)

2 tsps salt (divided) (I would go with more of this in with the chicken, too)

2 c all purpose flour

4 tsps baking powder

2 Tbs lard, cold and coarsely chopped (we used butter, and it took more than 2 T)

1 c milk

Put chicken in pot, cover with water.  Add pepper and salt.  (And other spices as desired.)  Cover and simmer for an hour.  Or until chicken is tender.  Or not pink next to the bone.  Or…  basically until it is done and starting to bone itself.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl.  Cut in whatever fat you are using until it is all coarse and crumbly.  Add milk 1/4 c at a time and mix until it becomes a soft dough.

When chicken is fully cooked, pull out of the broth, skin, shred, etc…  (I then put the bones and skin and other bits into a pot to make more broth for other uses.)  Put shredded chicken back in the original pot.  Bring to boiling.  Drop the dough into it in teaspoonish amounts.  Cover and boil for 12 minutes.  Or until the dumplings have doubled.

Serve.