Recipe #60 - Chicken and Dumplings

It was a perfect fall day, and I needed some comfort food.  So I turned to my handy, dandy cookbook and this beauty appeared!  I happened to have everything that I needed and went to work on a yummy dinner just as a fall storm started to blow in.  I couldn't have timed it better.

Chicken and Dumplings can be found on page 104, and it doesn't appear to be listed on the Our Best Bites website.

You start by sauteing the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes.

Then you add the chicken broth, chicken, bay, leaf, and basil.  Bring to a boil.

Then you add the carrots and celery.  (HINT:  Have all your veggies chopped and ready to go before you even start.  The chicken needs to be cooked and cut up too.  I just happened to do this, and I think I would have timed things poorly if I hadn't.)

Cook until the veggies are tender.

Next add in the parsley.  Fresh or dried works just fine.

Then you stir in a can of evaporated milk.  I used the fat free kind.  Just because it is "comfort food" doesn't mean that it has to be fattening.

Next you mix up a batch of Bisquik biscuit dough.  (I used skim milk on these.)

While the soup is boiling, you drop the dough in by the spoonful.

Then the recipe says to cook until the dumplings "have cooked through".  I had no idea how long that would take, so I consulted the Bisquik box.  On the recipe for dumplings, it tells you to cook them uncovered for 10 minutes and then cover and cook for another 10 minutes.  That's just what I did and the timing was perfect.

It was crazy hot when it was done cooking, so plan a little time for it to cool off.

It may not look super fancy or delicious, but it totally hit the spot.  My youngest did NOT want to even try it, but I told her to just try a dumpling to see if she'd like it.  She tried them and liked them, which led to eating most of her bowl.  My son had seconds and my hubby complimented it several times during dinner.  My pickiest eater was gone tonight, so we don't have a report from her.  But it was a hit for sure.  Give it a try at your house and let me know what your family thinks!