I don't know about you but one of my favorite comfort foods that I enjoy making for my family is chicken and dumplings. It's also a versatile recipe that you can change to suit your mood or taste buds at the time if you want to. I've included a basic recipe for chicken and dumplings plus three types of dumplings and also some ideas for changing the soup around. I'll be adding an article on a variety of dumplings soon so keep an eye out for that! yum!

Chicken and Dumplings

1 whole chicken, cut up
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
poultry seasoning to taste
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup

Drop Dumplings
2 c. flour
2/3 c. milk
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp butter
1/2 tsp salt

Place chicken in a large pot with celery, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with 4 quarts of water.
Simmer for 2 hours until tender. Remove meat from bone, return chicken meat to pot and broth. Add the cream of chicken soup and simmer gently.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork. Gradually add the milk until mixed.
Drop by spoonfuls carefully into the hot broth and simmer the chicken and dumplings 10 minutes longer, making sure to ladle broth over the dumplings to submerge them as they cook.
If you prefer rolled dumplings or Bisquick® dumplings those recipes are included below.

Rolled Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Sift flour; measure and sift again with baking powder and seasoned salt. With pastry blender, cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Add milk and stir until dough forms ball and leaves sides of bowl. Turn out on lightly floured board. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 1/2 x 4-inch strips and drop onto chicken in boiling broth. Cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes.

Bisquick® dumplings

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2/3 cup milk

Stir ingredients until soft dough forms.
Drop by spoonfuls onto boiling stew; reduce heat.
Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

This recipe can be varied by adding corn or other favorite veggies as well as completely changing the taste by using beef stew instead of chicken and dumplings or a hearty vegetable stew even. You can even include flavored dumplings which I'll be talking about soon. Enjoy the experimenting and when you decide you want to cook it for guests or family events you'll have a knock out dish to serve! Happy Cooking!