Chicken and Dumplings

CLICK HERE - PRINT RECIPE

Everyone has been asking for this recipe.  Honestly, I have made it different every time, so I had to recreate the recipe one more time to write down the directions.  I have always been a dash of that and a pinch of this cook - so feel free to add more or less to taste.... 

Also, this is the easy version of my chicken and dumplings.

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken Breast (or 1 small whole chicken)

8 Cups of Water / 2 tsp of Chicken Seasoning/per cup water (or you can use chicken broth)

1 lb bag of Baby Carrots Sliced 

3-4 Celery Stalks Sliced

1 Medium Onion Diced

1 Stick Real Butter
1 Package of Homestyle Biscuits

Flour

Parsley, Paprika, Black Pepper

           

1.  Let's make this really easy!  Pull out the crockpot in the morning. Add chicken, 4 cups of water and 8 tsp of chicken seasoning to the crockpot.  Turn crockpot on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 4-6.  (If using a whole chicken - don't add the water.  Just put the thawed chicken in the crockpot - it will create its own juices to cook in.)  Season chicken with parsley.   Leave it alone until chicken is completely cooked.

2.  Once the chicken is done, remove from crockpot and set aside to cool. Shred chicken. (and obviously debone if you are using a whole chicken.)

3.  Grab a large pot.  Pour the chicken broth into the large pot.  Add diced celery, onions and sliced carrots to the broth.  (Feel free to just add them to crock pot in the morning if you are in a hurry.)  Bring to a boil until veggies are soft.  Season with parsley and black pepper. Stir well.

4.  Add Chicken.  Mix well.

5.  At this point, you will probably need more chicken broth.  Add the remaining 4 cups of water and the appropriate chicken seasoning.  (If using a whole chicken - you will probably want to use 6 cups of water - but judge by the amount of broth your chicken produced.)  Also add a stick of butter and allow to melt. 

6.  Remove biscuits from the can.  Separate the 8 biscuits and flatten.  I cut them into 4's for bigger biscuits.  When I ask Brennon to help me, he cuts them smaller.

7.  Roll biscuits in flour - Bring mixture back to a boil.  Add the flour covered biscuits to the mixture.  Cook for 5 minutes, and turn the biscuits over.  They are now considered to be a dumpling.  Stir well -  Lower temperature to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Stir often so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

8.  After approximately 20 minutes, uncover, stir, and check dumplings.  They should be cooked all the way through.  You can tell by cutting into one, as they shouldn't be doughy in the middle.  The flour on the dumpling should have thickened the sauce.  Add a teaspoon of flour until desired consistency or you can add a can of cream of chicken soup.  It will thicken as it sits. Sprinkle with  more parsley and a little paprika!  

9.  Serve and Enjoy!!

JUST A THOUGHT - I have a recipe for homemade dumplings that I will try and post later - This is the easy recipe by using the homestyle biscuits and let's face it, with our busy lives every one wants easy right! I have made this a few different ways and my favorite is with a whole chicken, a pain to debone but a richer taste.  You can also omit the butter, but I think it adds a certain flavor that we like.  Also feel free to add everything to the crockpot in the morning - and transfer to a large pot in the evening to make the dumplings.   I will encourage you to make this recipe a few times and then make it your own by adding ingrediants/seasonings that you like.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!  

Melissa  :)