Comfort Food at Its Best: Chicken & Dumplings in the Crock Pot

My maternal grandmother is one of those dainty Southern ladies that can cook up a storm without breaking a sweat -- all while wearing nothing but dresses. Such a classy lady.

ANYway...

Growing up, one of my favorite things that she would fix was Chicken & Dumplings.

Even now, I can remember sitting down to a full table in my grandparent's dining room, with steaming bowls of Chicken & Dumplings, fried okra, corn off the cob, and plates of sliced tomatoes. Are you hungry yet?

She's also one of those ladies who doesn't follow a written recipe, so even though I have several of her recipes written down, they never EVER turn out exactly the same.

This is why I've never bothered to try and make her Chicken & Dumplings recipe. I just order it every time we eat out at Cracker Barrel, and constantly remind myself with each bite that it comes awful close, but ultimately cannot hold a candle to Grandmama's recipe.

Now that we live out in the Sticks, the closest Cracker Barrel is an hour away and I need to put my big girl pants on and make Chicken & Dumplings myself.

I found a recipe in the Fix It & Forget It cookbook for Chicken & Dumplings made in the crock pot. I was skeptical, but it sounded easy enough.

I ended up tweaking the recipe enough that I'm claiming it as my own. Just ask the Hubby -- I complained so much while making this that we were both pleasantly surprised when it turned out so delicious. So, without further ado, here it is.

Chicken & Dumplings

Time: 7 hours

Servings: 8+

Chicken & Broth:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 - 32 oz. container chicken broth

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning*

1 cup chopped celery (1" pieces)

1 cup chopped carrots (1" pieces)

1 cup water

2 cups milk

Dumplings:

2 cups biscuit mix

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp parsley

1. Place chicken in slow cooker**. Pour broth and water over chicken.

2. Combine spices in small bowl, and sprinkle over chicken.

3. Spread carrots and celery over top.

4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

5. Remove lid and "shred" chicken breasts with a spoon. 

6. Turn slow cooker on high. Add milk, and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes. 

7. Combine biscuit ingredients and drop by spoonfuls over chicken.

8. Cover. Cook on high 35 minutes. (DO NOT remove cover while dumplings are cooking!)

9. Remove cover. Dough will have formed a thick layer over top of chicken. Break it up gently with a spoon, and stir to moisten all of the dumplings. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

*I used a homemade poultry seasoning recipe, found here.

**I used a 5Qt. cooker. Make sure to use one that is big enough to add the additional liquids and the dumplings after the chicken is cooked.