What is for dinner tonight? Chicken and Dumplings

I'm back with an easy and yummy recipe. As promised, I will be posting at least one recipe each month to my blog site. All recipes will be easy and perfect for 'busy moms' like me to cook after a full day at work. No need to cook all day to get delicious results-I promise. As I have mentioned before, I consider myself a 'SEMI HOMEMADE' cook. I am just as busy as many moms out there and I know what  weeknights are like.

Chicken and Dumplings is one of my husband's favorite meals. He has always asked, "you cook so many different things, don't you know how to make chicken and dumplings?" To tell you the truth, I had always heard of this dish but, I had never ate it. My mother never prepared this for us as children. I guess I was deprived. I don't know. I have a good friend that makes FANTASTIC chicken and dumplings- she cooks all day. I don't usually have time or patience for that... I like delicious results at a faster pace.

This dish is perfect for a cold evening (much like we have been experiencing in NE Ohio for the last 2 months). It reheats well and is even more delicious the next day.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

6 chicken thighs

2 (10.7 oz) cans of condensed cream of celery soup

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 carrot, diced (optional)

1/8 of a large sweet onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of Jiffy biscuit mix

2/3 cup of milk

In medium soup pot over high heat, combine the chicken thighs with enough water to cover. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain some of the water from the pot,but  reserve 3 cups in the pot. Remove chicken from the pot and allow to cool (place on cookie sheet an din fridge for a few minutes). Add onion, celery, and carrot  into the reserved water within the pot and cook until tender. While veggies are cooking- pull chicken from bones into chunky pieces and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, prepare dough for dumplings baking mix with the milk.
Reduce heat to simmer, add the cans of soup, stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of dough into pot, cover and cook for additional 20 minutes.

Make dumplings the size you prefer. My husband enjoys large full  dumplings. This part is personal choice.