Ukrainian Chicken & Dumplings Soup – Ukrainian

Stock
1 chicken, preferably a boiling chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2½ quarts cold water
1 bay leaf
1 onion, peeled but kept whole
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Dumplings
1 large egg
¼ cup cold water
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup flour
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

To serve
1 green onion thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
crusty sourdough bread

To make the stock, place the chicken pieces in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Add the bay leaf, whole onion, and seasoning, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, skim off the scum, and leave to simmer until cooked through, 1 hour, or 1½ hours.

To make the dumpling mixture, beat the egg lightly in a bowl, then add the water and salt and gradually add flour. Work into a paste.

Add the carrot to the stock, then drop in separate teaspoonfuls of the dumpling paste and boil for 5 minutes.

Serve with the green onion, dill, and a big hunk of crusty sourdough bread for dipping.