Michael's Slow Cooker Chicken 'n' Dumplings

A few people have requested the recipe for the chicken 'n' dumplings I made the other night so I thought I'd post on here for you all to enjoy!  These are so scrumptious they about beat out my grandmothers recipe (sorry Gramma!) and Matt really liked them and he is not a fan of chicken 'n' dumplings at all.  This recipe comes from my Paula Deen Family Cookbook I got for Christmas and is actually her husbands recipe. It is a bit of work, but so worth it in the end!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
One 3 1/2 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces (I bought a Perdue chicken that was already cut up - made life so much easier!)
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons butter, softened


Directions:
1.  Put the chicken in a 3 to 5 quart slow cooker.  Add water to cover, about 3 cups*.  Add the parsley sprigs, celery, carrots, onion, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and bay leaves.  Cook for 3 hours on high or for 7 hours on low, until the meat falls off the bone.
2.  In a bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk and shortening; stir  the liquid into the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chopped parsley.  Drop the dumplings by tablespoons into the chicken broth.  Cover the slow cooker and simmer on low for 40 to 45 minutes, until tender and cooked through.
3.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a bowl; transfer the chicken to another bowl.  Once its cool enough to handle, separate the chicken meat from the skin and bones and discard the skin and bones.  Strain the broth into a medium saucepan and discard the vegetables.
4.  Mix the butter and the 3 tablespoons flour to form a paste.  Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.  Whisk in the paste and let simmer until thick, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the chicken to the sauce; then spoon the mixture over the dumplings to serve.


Yum! 
*It took me about 6 cups of water to cover my chicken and it seemed to turn out ok!