Wash hands with soap and water. Wash and dry the carrots. Peel and dice the onion and carrots.

Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper (if desired) and cook the chicken on both sides for 2-4 minutes (chicken will not be cooked through yet).

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet and cook until softened. Add the broth and Italian seasoning.

Add the chicken and the broccoli to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a low boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the broccoli tender. Remove chicken from the pot to a bowl and let cool slightly, then shred with two forks.

Carefully transfer some of the soup to a blender and blend until the broccoli is finely chopped. Return the soup to the pot and stir in ½ cup milk. Bring the soup to a boil.

To make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, ½ cup milk, and the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Drop a tablespoon of the dough into the boiling soup. Continue until you've worked your way through all the dough. You should end up with 10-12 dumplings.

Cover the pot so the dumplings can cook for about 5 minutes. Carefully move the dumplings aside and stir in the cheddar cheese and shredded chicken to the soup and heat through.

Ladle the dumplings and soup into bowls and serve. Makes 6 servings. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.