Chicken & Dumplings {made easy!}

Comfort Food - fresh from the oven!

     The preparation on this recipe is simple and easy (and who doesn't like that on busy days.)  You can make my homemade 'drop type biscuits' or use store bought.   Great thing is, you decide what works for you, even changing up the filling works (see my kitchen note at end of the recipe) It all tastes great!  
     I used my smaller cast iron dutch oven for this recipe as it has a heavy lid for going into the oven and creating a nice steam for my dumplings to rise but, you can certainly use a cast iron skillet and cover it with foil (just make sure to get a tight seal.)  I hope you make and enjoy this as much as we do.  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Dutch Oven Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrot 
1 1/2 cups chicken broth 
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
2 tablespoons fresh parsley 
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Pillsbury biscuits or homemade my 'drop' biscuits (see note below) 
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In an ovenproof dutch oven or cast iron skillet, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until softened. 
• Add in the carrot and celery, cook a few minutes and add chicken broth. Let simmer about 4 minutes until veggies are slightly softened.
• In a bowl, combine chicken, cream of chicken soup and parsley. Stir into vegetable mixture. 
• If using a can of store bought biscuits, peel each biscuit in half and place on top of chicken mixture covering the entire top surface, or make homemade "drop" biscuits and do the same (see below). 
• Bake 15 minutes, covered with lid of dutch oven (with foil if using oven proof skillet) then remove lid/foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.   Serve hot.

If you cannot find Pillsbury Home-style Biscuits, you can substitute my homemade "drop" biscuits in their place. (see recipe below)

Homemade "Drop" Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk

Directions:
Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in medium size bowl. Cut in butter with fork, until crumbly. Stir in milk to make a soft dough. Tear dough into 6 pieces, roll slightly into ball, flatted and lay on-top of Chicken mixture. Makes 6 biscuits.

Kitchen Note:  Switch the filling up a bit, you can try adding in some cooked wild rice, different vegetables like green beans or peas - its a wonderful recipe!  Pure comfort food! 

Plated Dutch Oven Chicken & Dumplings