Martha's go to comfort food: Chicken & Dumplings

After last week's rants and ravings and life without power my family needed some good homey cooking.  Hot, yummy, comfort food and Chicken and Dumplings fit the bill.  Easy and delicious, and you can make it in under 30 minutes!

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3 Chicken Breasts, cut in chunks
flour, salt & pepper (to coat chicken)
olive oil
1 onion 
2-3 stalks of celery
2-3 carrots
1 potato
2-4 cups of chicken stock
water
AND
biscuit mix or can of pre-made biscuits or use a gluten free alternative (I've got a goody I'll share later with y'all!)

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I like to cook this recipe in two pans.  I have a great "dutch oven" pot with a lid that is perfect and an oversized frying pan that I cover with tin foil.  If I'm making this to give to a friend for supper I make it in a throw away pan right on the stove top...just really watch the flame if you do this because those pans are super thin and stuff will burn easily.  

Put some olive oil in the pans and get it heating up over a medium flame.

Cut up the chicken and coat the pieces in the flour, salt and pepper.  Start the chicken browning in the pan while you dice the veggies.

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Dice the veggies and once the chicken is browned on both sides add them to the pan.  I usually wait to add the potatoes along with the chicken stock.

While the veggies are softening, I make the biscuit dough.  I usually just use a box mix or bisquick. Sometimes to fancy up the biscuits I add fresh parsley to the mix.  Leave the bowl of dough nearby.

Give the pans a good shake or store the chicken and veggies around and then add the potatoes and chicken stock, about 1-2 cups per pan, plus about a 1/2 cup of water to each pan.  The liquid should almost entirely cover the solids.  Like this picture. ->

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Once the liquid starts to boil, drop spoonfuls of the biscuit mix on top of the stew and cover the pot.

Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve piping hot! 

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