Chicken and Dumplings II

While the previous recipe hailed from Canada, this one is credited to the United States.  It was much simpler, with no frying step - everything just went into a pot with water.  Instead of carrots and potatoes, this recipe was all about the celery.  Rosemary instead of thyme provided the seasoning.  Without the onions and bacon sprinkled with flour fried in bacon fat, this broth was much thinner.  Also made with whole wheat flour but with less water, the dumplings were more dense and chewy.
I think the ideal chicken and dumpling stew would take the best of both: start with a little bacon and onions fried with flour for thickening, simmer the chicken for an hour, remove the chicken to cook the carrots, potatoes, and celery, and finally add the shredded chicken and dumpling batter (not as thin as the first recipe nor as thick as this one) in the last ten minutes of cooking.  Any way you cook it, any chicken and dumpling stew is the essence of comfort food.