Cheater Chicken and Dumplings

One of my sweet baby boy's, Caleb, came home this weekend with his girlfriend Silvia and my precious new granddaughter, Natalie Jade. Caleb requested that I make Chicken and Dumplings because Silvia, who is originally from Mexico, had never had this delightful Southern staple. Well, I admit that getting my hands on that 3 month old angel baby was what was really on my mind, much more than slaving over a hot stove. So I used this cheater recipe and let me tell you my family was none the wiser. It tasted GOOD, Honey!!



Ingredients
1 whole Store-bought Deli Rotisserie Chicken
3 stalks Celery, Split Lengthwise And Sliced About 1/2" Thick
½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt (I Use Lawry's)
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 carton (26 Oz) Chicken Stock (not Broth)
2 cups Water
1 can (26 Oz) Cream Of Chicken Soup (I Use Campbell's)
1 can Ready-to-bake "flaky" Biscuits
¼ teaspoons Dry Poultry Seasoning
1 cup Frozen Carrots (optional)

Preparation InstructionsRemove the skin from the chicken and pick all of the meat off. Cut/tear the meat into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.

Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onions, and both salts.

Saute the onion and celery for about three minutes, stirring often. You don’t need any oil. Don’t worry if it starts to brown and stick a little. The next step will take care of that.

Add the stock, water and soup to the pot, reduce the heat and let it come to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You might need to whisk it a little to get the soup to fully incorporate.

While the liquid is simmering, flour both sides of five of the canned biscuits. Using a rolling pin, roll each biscuit out to about 1/8″ thick. Cut the biscuits into 1″ wide strips and cut the long ones in half lengthwise. You now have dumplings, so set them aside.

(Note: The flour is key, as it will help thicken the liquid.)

Add the chicken, poultry seasoning and carrots (if desired) to the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the liquid just to a boil (it must be boiling).

Drop the dumplings into the boiling liquid and stir just enough to ensure they are all as submerged as you can get them. Stir gently so that you don’t break up the dumplings.

Let the pot boil gently uncovered for about 10 minutes, softly stirring/folding occasionally.

Remove from the heat, pour into a serving dish and let stand about 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!