[Crockpot] Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings is a great comfort food to enjoy in the middle of winter. It packs all the flavor of chicken, vegetables, and broth under a fluffy canopy of delicious dumplings. I love how simple this dish is to make. I have also successfully made this dish in the crockpot (see note below).

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I usually use the leftovers from my roast chicken)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 (12 oz) bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon basil

Herbed Dumplings Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup skim milk

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine chicken, broth, veggies, cayenne pepper, black pepper, tarragon, and basil. Cook 10 minutes until mixture just starts to boil.
2. Make up dumpling dough and set aside. As soon as the chicken mixture begins to boil, turn down the temp to medium-low; spoon in dumpling dough, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID!
3. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Now for the crockpot variation:

1. Combine all the "soup" ingredients in the crockpot (you can leave everything cold or frozen and let the crockpot do the work). Set to Low and leave for 4-6 hours. 
2. Once the liquid begins to bubble in the crockpot, make up the dumpling dough and spoon it over the top. Cover and DO NOT REMOVE THE LID until the dumplings are done (about 30 minutes in the crockpot). Ladle into bowls and enjoy!