How to Make a Dinner

I made them once or twice. A lot of work and messy. Now I buy "MRS. B'S" at HEB. They come in a white pkg with black lettering. They are pretty close to home made. Directions are on the pkg.

Try www.bettycrocker.com for recipes. They usually have good, easy recipes. I know you make the dumplings themselves w/a pie crust recipe but dunno about the rest, so sorry! I never liked dumplings so I never asked for my mother's recipe but try that website or you can probably find a good recipe online.

Chicken and Dumplings

• Boneless chicken - about 2 pounds
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups onions, sliced
• 2 cans Cream of whatever soups - celery, chicken, mushroom - mix and match if you have to
• 3 cans refrigerator biscuits, the cheap ones - not the layer ones
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water

Throw chicken, celery, carrots, and onions into crock pot. Add a couple cups of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook all day. Transfer everything to big soup pot. Heat and add the cream of whatever soups. Add water to desired consistency. Bring to boil. Cut each biscuit into quarters and drop them one at a time into the pot stirring after adding a handful. Add biscuits until you have as many dumplings as you like. They will float so don't be fooled into thinking you have too many. Cook uncovered until dumplings are firm. Freeze leftovers or refrigerate for tomorrow night.

You can use a whole chicken if you prefer but you'll need to pull the chicken out and debone it. It's just too much trouble to keep all the bones and fat out of the vegetables and broth so I use boneless. Season with whatever you like. If you don't have enough dumplings for your leftovers, just add a little extra water, bring to a boil and cook more dumplings. You can cook the chicken and veggies on the stove if you prefer. Another option is to pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, debone it and use it.

You will probably receive numerous replies-but here is another one. This recipe is very creamy-and hearty.
You will need about 2 cups of cooked chicken. I usually get three boneless chicken breasts and simmer them in a dutch oven size pan for about 40 minutes. You will need about 6 cups of broth for the dumplings, so cover the chicken plus about three inches. You may also use dark meat, a whole chicken-whichever you are more comfortable using. Once the chicken is done remove it and set aside so you can shred it. Your broth needs to be more substantial than watery.You can throw in a chicken bouillion cube or a tablespoon of chicken granules if you have them. Turn up the heat so your liquid is beginning to boil. I use Bisquick for my dumplings-the recipe is on the side of the box. I am pretty much a snob about using mixes-I NEVER cook with a mix-even my pancakes are made from scratch, but this is one small concession I make because you can not tell they are made from Bisquick-I promise. I usually double the recipe on the side of the box. The trick is to drop the batter into the boiling liquid by small teaspoons. Stir frequently. Once you have all of the dumplings in the broth, turn the heat down to "low". Then you add I can of canned milk-evaporated, the large size. Stir well, let simmer three to five minutes then remove from the heat. I usually shred my chicken so it isn't so "chunky". Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Don't put the salt and papper directly on the dumplings-try to season the creamy broth. Now, refrigerate the whole pot for a day-these are better the day after cooking. You have to be careful when re-heating them because they tend to scorch on the bottom. If you have any questions please let me know-good luck and enjoy!!

My grandma's recipe, delicious, no measurements, though...
Dumplings -
flour, shortening, salt - mix together, roll out, cut in strips using a pizza cutter. She keeps these made up by placing layers of them on wax paper and freezing. When she's ready she pulls what she wants out of the freezer, breaks off pieces of dough, and drops them in the liquid.

Chicken and broth -
boil a whole chicken, debone. Using the whole chicken instead of just breasts makes it richer, more flavorful, and is actually cheaper because whole chicken is cheaper.
Save the broth created from boiling.
Bring the chicken back to a boil in the broth adding milk and some oil, salt and pepper as desired. If needed, you can add a couple of chicken bullion cubes.
Once this is boiling, start dropping the dumplings in one at a time. Stir carefully. Bring back to a boil, stirring carefully so they don't stick. Stirring too hard can break up the dumplings. Remove from heat, allow to sit a few minutes, then serve.

This is often a meal I ask her to make when I come home to visit my family.

You must check out allrecipes.com Lots of great recipes, you can search by ingredients AND they have a rating system so you KNOW it's a good recipe! I get ALL my new recipes from there. It's free.

Here is what I do, I use whatever chicken meat I have allready cooked. I prefer to use water and soup base rather than the broth from the chicken I cooked, but you could use either.

Combine broth, COOKED chicken cut up (canned chicken would work too) and frozen mixed veggies and simmer 20 min. Add a can of condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup. Bring to a boil and drop in dumplings (get recipe from allrecipes or your bisquick box, I have to look it up every time LOL) You will need to cover and let those cook for longer than you would think, follow directions for the dumpling recipe you choose. Note: if you like corn, potatoes, etc, anything can be added to the soup base before you drop in the dumplings. It's really a very easy and satisfying dish.

Paula Deen is an amazing cook. Her recipe is sooo easy.. Check it out at www.foodnetwork.com look under her recipes and opunch in Chicken and dumplings...

FYI, I use the roasted chickens from the grocery store and organic chicken broth for a short cut..

When her recipe calls for "house seasoning" she is just talking about salt, pepper and garlic powder...

I use this recipe. Everytime I make it my family can't wait to sit down and eat.

Chicken and Dumplings (America's Test Kitchen)
Ingredients
5 lbs chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 cup onion, chopped
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons parsley

Dumplings:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons chicken fat

Directions

For the Stew:.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken.

Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the 6 T of flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, 1/4 cup of milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and.
simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes.

Skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.

For the Dumplings:

Stir the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and 1 t salt together. Microwave the 1 cup of milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

Since I am a single mother who works full time and I have a limited amount of time to fix dinner in the evening - I love my slow cooker and use it as often as possible.....
I prep everything in the evening during commercials and after my daughter is in bed and I have quiet time - cooking is my down time!!!!
In the morning after my workout - I turn my slowcooker on low and let it warm up and put everything in it - and let it cook on low while I am at work and my daughter is at school....
When we get home we make the salad and the bread/rolls/crescents and set the table.....
wa-la - dinner is served!!!!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooked-chicken-d...

I hope with all the posts - you find a recipe you like and can use.... good luck and enjoy!

This is one my family's favorite meals. It is also one of my budget meals.
I use a whole chicken, its much cheaper as well as you get the added flavor to the broth of the dark meat . The only ingredients needed: whole chicken, canned biscuits, the cheaper store brand, not the big Grands style biscuits, I usually use 2-3 cans of biscuits to one whole chicken, because me family loves the dumplings and some of the biscuits dissolve in the broth and thicken up the broth.

To cook the whole chicken, put enough water in a soup pot, with a lid, to completely cover the chicken, add about a tablespoon of salt to the water, bring the water to a full rolling boil. After the water is boiling, put the whole chicken into the pot, using a long handled spoon or tongs, dunk the chicken down into the water so that the inside of the chicken fills up with water as well, then bring the water back to a full rolling boil. When the water is boiling, again, put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat. Let it set completely covered, do not open the lid to check it, for one hour. Remove the chicken from the pan, let it cool a little and then debone the chicken, it will fall off the bone, and be perfectly cooked, not tough or dried out. I will cook chicken this way for casseroles, soups, chicken salad, its super easy, you can add herbs etc, to water as the chicken cooks if you want to. I sometimes add sage or poultry seasoning when I make chicken and dumplings.

Cut up the canned biscuits into 3 or 4 pieces each. You will need to leave enough broth in the pan to completely cover all of the chicken and steam the dumplings, I usually leave most or all of the broth in the pan, add a few boullion cubes if it needs more flavor, add any seasoning that you like to the broth, start the water boiling again, add the chicken back to soup pot, to reheat, when the water is boiling after adding the chicken back, then add all of the biscuits to pan, put a lid on the pan and let the biscuits steam cook it only takes a few minutes, depending on how big the pieces were cut.

Sometimes I don't think the broth is quite thick enough so I add some instant potato flakes to the broth to thicken it up a little.

Many years ago, I decided to be Suzy Homemaker and began making everything from scratch, (for a working Mom, not easy), but one night we were in a big hurry, so I just cut up the biscuits threw them in the pan, so we could hurry and finish dinner, about half way through dinner my dear sweet hubby, says "I'm so glad you figured out what was wrong with your dumplings, I wasn't going to say anything, but it sure its so nice to have your dumplings back to normal" I never made dumplings from scratch again!!! Hubby's you just gotta love 'em.

this may be a little too late bu I make chicken n dumplings by boiling the chicken shreddeding it then set it aside, take canned biscut the cheap plain ones and smoosh them really flat and stretched out cover thenm in flour and pinch off lil pieces putting them in abowl while you are doing this add about 1/2 cup of milk to the chicken water put it on low or you can use canned broth if you prefer, once all the biscuts are floured and pinched ( i use 2 cans for my family) then the chicken water and milk should be boiling just a little. add the dumplings stir them and after about 10 min add the chicken make sure the dumplins are done they won't be stringy anymore and that's it you are done you can add salt and or pepper to the broth but in my house we add it in the bowl b/c i don't do pepper and my hubby doesn't so salt. hth

this was my husbands grandmothers reciepe

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tab.heaping shortening
1/2--1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch soda
pinch cream of tartar

Mix like biscuits, roll 1/4 in thick and cut into squares or strips.
Drop into the broth. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Add boned chicken last.

My sister's recipe is SOOOOO delicious. 1 whole chicken, 8-10 regular biscuits (butter biscuits too greasy), 1 pint half and half or whipping cream, 1 medium onion, 1 tsp garlic, fresh or powder, Basil - just enough to lightly cover the top, maybe 1/4 tsp.

Boil chicken and spices in large pot with as much water as possible without boiling over until doen and bone off all meat. Shred or cut up in chunks and place all meat in the leftover broth. Add water at this point if needed. You should have at least 1/2 pot full of broth.
Chop onion and put in check and broth mixture, bring to light boil. Fill the pot to 3/4 full with the half and half or cream and stir often to keep from sticking.

Open biscuits onto a surface with flour and coat the discuit well in flour. Cut biscuits to finger-nail size pieces (or larger) and drop gently in the chicken mixture on light boil. The biscuits will poor up a little at first, but after stiffing and cooking, they will reduce to small dumplins. Cook under light boil for about 10 mins stirring occasionally making sure they don't stick.

You can thicken mixture by adding 1 tablespoon cornstarch to about 1/2 cup cold half and half, water or milk, mixing will in bowl before adding to mixture.

You can thin by adding more half and half, milk or chicken broth.

If you want less creamy dumplins, just use regular milk or no milk at all..

It's the best I've ever had.

My M. was a great cook and had a very simple recipe for chicken and dumplings which my children love. One large can of chicken broth, a can of cream of chicken soup, a little chopped onion-- let come to a boil. Add a large can of chicken, seasonings, and the dumplings. M.'s "dumplings" were made from flour tortillas! She would use a pizza cutter to cut 10-12 flour tortillas into pieces, then add to the broth. This is a delicious, quick, and easy recipe for the working M..

This is cheap and easy and doesn't require you to buy chicken broth. The dumplings aren't traditional. They are more like biscuts. Whole chicken is the best thing to use. I have to use tongs to pull out any weird stuff inside it. Don't take off any fat from the chicken. (this gives it more flavor)

5 raw carrots sliced
5 raw celery sliced
salt and pepper
celery salt (this is what makes it sooo good)
*use will use a lot of salt, pepper, celery salt don't be afraid to taste to see how much to add*
Put all together with chicken covered in water and boil for 3 hours. Take chicken out saving all the liquid. Take meat off chicken and throw out the rest. Put the chicken in the liquid you cooked it in which is now chicken broth.
I use Bisquick mix and make as directed and just drop into liquid from cooking chicken. It only takes around 15-20 minutes on medium heat. You might have to make more than one batch.

a woman i knew made the best chicken and dumplings. she used the pioneer bisquet mix she would take a spoon full of the dough and hold the spoon in the chicken broth and let the dough fall off the spoon while holding it in the water...it kind of broke away from the spoon. this made really good dumplings. if they are too big they will still be dough in the middle if they are too small it seems they break all apart. good luck!

I boil my chicken with salt and peper and follow the directions on the bisquick box its easy

I love to make these...I boil the chicken and add alot of salt and pepper--then add chicken broth from the can..all depends on how much you are cooking...I cook alot--last me at least 4 days..Then when chicken is done..take it out, cool it down and get all bones and skin out...then put it back in the pot with the broth and get 2 or 3 cups Bisquick....mix enough water with it to make a paste like substance and drop it in with a medium sized spoon with it boiling hot...keep adding salt and pepper --good luck--just remember lots of salt and pepper...the bisquick will help thicken the broth

Hi, I first brown my chicken in small amount of oil, then put it in a deep pot, add a couple of quarts of water, I found a recipe for the dumplings in a betty crocker cook book & used that, but the best I have done is to use Pioneer Brand biscuit mix. They have a better flavor, than from scratch. But the sectret to fluffy dumplings is to cook them slow & never lift the lid while they are cooking, it takes 10 minutes for them to cook. Good luck. W.

Look it up on www.pioneerwoman.com or Paula Deen's website. I have never made them either but there is tons of info on the internet.