Chicken and Spaetzles

I made this recipe a while ago and it was funny to me that no one knew what a spaetzles was. I have heard that word all my life as this recipe was a staple in my house hold.

As defined by my grandma: "spaetzle.... they are a German pasta-like dumpling but more moist and tender than an Italian pasta"

Chicken and Spaetzles soup:

Ingredients:

Soup:
* 1 whole chicken
* Water
* 1 large can of chicken broth
* Carrots cut into small pieces
* Celery cut into small pieces
* Onion or mushrooms if desired (I didn't add these)
* salt and pepper to taste

Spraetzle's
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* water
* 1 egg
* 2 Tbsp of seasoning salt

Start by placing the whole chicken into a deep pot  and will with water till covered. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1-2 hours depending on the size of the chicken. You will know it is done when the chicken is falling off the bone.

Once done separate the meat from the bones. Strain and save half the broth made for the soup. You can save the other have to use for something else.

Add all the chicken meat back into the broth. Add in the can of store bought chicken broth and the cut up veggies. Add in the salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and let cook for another half hour or until the veggies are cooked.

Put the flour into a bowl ( I used a large glass measuring cup so that it would be easy to pour the batter) To the flour add the seasoning salt and mix. Then mix the egg and add water 1/2 a cup at a time until you get a good thick batter.

Make sure the soup is at a small boil then simply pour in the batter maybe a 1/4 cup at a time moving sporadically around the soup. The spaetzles will first sink to the bottom but as they cook they will float to the surface. Once they are all floating they are done and the soup is ready to be enjoyed!

This while recipe is just by family memory and there is no real need to measure any of the ingredients.

I hope you guys try out this recipe and really enjoy it! It's been a favorite of mine all my life!