Easy Chicken and Dumplings

I have a confession to make. I have only had chicken and dumplings one or two times in my life and this is the first time I have ever made them. I saw a video of someone making them this way and I saved it so I could try them. This nice cold snap was the perfect time to give them a try. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. I’ll let you know the verdict at the end.

Here is the nice potful of dumplings.

This easy recipe uses canned biscuits for the dumplings. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Start by putting a can of cream of celery soup in your pot. I was wondering about this one. If you don’t like celery you could probably use cream of chicken. But the celery soup works.

To that add a 32 oz carton of chicken broth. I used low sodium.

Bring that to a boil. When it comes to a boil it helps the celery soup to become incorporated.

I cooked the chicken breast earlier so while the soup was coming to a boil I chopped it up. You can use rotisserie chicken if you want.

Now take your can of biscuits. Seperate them. Lightly flour the counter and roll them out very thin.

Then cut them into small pieces or dumplings.

I put them on a plate until they were all cut up.

The soups are boiling pretty good. 

Now start dropping the dumplings into the pot. Stir a little to make sure they don’t stick together.

Put them all in and cook for 10-15 minutes. You will know when they are done.

Add some black pepper. I added too much pepper and they were a little hot. Next time not so much pepper.

After the dumplings are cooked add the chicken. Let them cook until they are warm.

Stir them well.

They are now ready to enjoy.

Serve them up in a bowl. I added some black eyed peas to the plate. Would I make them again? Yes! They were very good and very easy. They are great comfort food on a cold winter night.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

8 count canned biscuits

1 can cream of celery soup

32 oz chicken broth

1 lb chicken cooked and shredded.

Best Ever Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

You know when I find a recipe that calls itself the best ever I have to try it and see if it is true.  Best ever... I'm not sure about that but they are very good. Butterscotch and chocolate are a classic combination. They are packed full of chips and very good when they are warm from the oven. 

I know you can smell them.
 

These cookies start with a basic cookie dough. 

Start with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar.

1 stick softened butter.  Mix the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 

Add 1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla. This is vanilla paste.  Mix well.

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour.  Add a little at a time and mix well. 

Add up to 1 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup semisweet chips.  The butterscotch chips are pretty sweet so you may want to add less.  It's a lot of chips so mix well. 

I put the dough in the fridge for a few minutes to just firm up some before scooping. 

Scoop dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  I made small cookies but you can make them larger.  Place in a preheated 350 oven.  Depending on size of the cookies bake 6-10 minutes.  Let them cool for about 5 minutes if you can wait that long. 

Enjoy at least one fresh and warm from the oven. 

Best Ever Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1 stick softened butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake 6-10 minutes depending on cookie size. 

Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Latte Cookies

Last year I made a cookie with espresso powder and still had some, so when I found this recipe that used espresso powder I thought I would give it a try.  A lot of my cookies are geared for kids, these are not for kids.  They have that little extra boost in them from the espresso powder. 

These were really good warm from the oven. 
 

Two things I changed from the original recipe the first was brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and the other was regular walnuts instead of sprouted walnuts.  You could use pecans if that is what you have. 

Start with 1 cup brown sugar

Add that to 3/4 cup  softened butter.  Mix until light and fluffy. 

Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 egg.  I use a vanilla paste that has the real vanilla beans caviar inside. 

1/2 teaspoon bakin soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.  Mix all this well.

Add 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour.  Add a little at a time. 

Add 1/2 cup rolled oats.

1/2 Tablespoon instant espresso powder

1/3 cup chopped walnuts Mix well. 

5 oz semisweet chocolate chips. Mix well. 

Scoop the dough out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place in a preheated 350 oven.  I made really small cookies so I baked them starting at 6 minutes.  The original recipe calls for 2 Tablespoon size cookies and they cook for 9-10 minutes.  My smaller ones cook much faster.  Always start low you can always continue baking.  You can't undo burnt cookies. 

Enjoy while warm.  Have them with a cup of coffee for an extra burst of caffine. 

Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Latte Cookie Recipe

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/2 Tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 egg

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

5 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 6-10 minutes depending on size of cookies. 

4 Million Dollar Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole

I'm not sure why this recipe is named 4 Million Dollar Casserole but it sure taste like a million bucks.  This is a quick and easy recipe that will allow you to put dinner on the table pretty quick.  You could even make it ahead of time and bake it when you get home.  There are some things you can do to make it even easier.

You can make this with or without peas. 
 

I cooked my own chicken breast but you can use a rotisserie chicken if you like.  I find and this is just me that I can cook and cut up chicken breast faster than I can clean off a rotisserie chicken.

The one thing that takes the longest amount of time is cooking the box of Rice A Roni.  Cook it per the box directions. 

Add 1 cup sour cream to the rice. 

Then add one can cream of chicken and a can of cream of mushroom soup

The recipe gave some suggestions of additions to the recipe and peas was one of them.  You could use frozen peas and carrots mixed and I might do that next time.  I always keep peas in my freezer.  I love these frozen bright green peas.  

Cut up your chicken. You need 1 pound of chopped chicken. 

Now you are going to shred 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  You could probably use the green can Parmesan cheese but it won't be the same as fresh grated.

Melt one stick of butter

Add the melted butter to the mixture.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. 

Place in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish.  Place in a preheated 350 oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until it is nice and bubbly and golden brown. 

Fresh from the oven.  It might could have stayed in the oven a couple more minutes and gotten a little browner on top.  Some french fried onions might add a nice crunch on top too.  It also was good left over and reheated. 

Enjoy.  I hope you will try it soon.

4 Million Dollar Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole Recipe

 

1 lb cooked and shredded chicken breast

1 box chicken flavored Rice a Roni

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 stick melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Bake 30-35 minutes.