Chicken and Dumplings

This is a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, so you know it has to be delicious :-). I couldn't resist trying this one, especially when I saw that I happened to have the exact apple cider in my fridge that she pictured. The ENTIRE family loved this meal...from my husband down to my 1 1/2 year old. I was thrilled that the dumplings actually cooked and held together in a "dumpling" shape :-).

Ingredients:
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* ½ cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (cut Up Fryer)
* Salt And Pepper
* ½ cups Finely Diced Carrots
* ½ cups Finely Diced Celery
* 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
* ½ teaspoons Ground Thyme
* ¼ teaspoons Turmeric
* 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
* ½ cups Apple Cider
* ½ cups Heavy Cream
* Dumplings:
* 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
* ½ cups Yellow Cornmeal
* 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* 1-½ cup Half-and-half
* 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (optional)
* Salt As Needed

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.
Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.
In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.
rop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.