Chicken & Dumplings

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup or 1 large family size
• 2 cans of biscuits
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped (optional)
• spices: salt, pepper, thyme, lemon pepper, onion/garlic powder, Tony's
• enough water to cover your chicken (about 8-10 cups)

In a large stock pot, boil your chicken, water, veggies, and spices for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your chicken. I honestly never look at the weight of the chicken, just the price, which I usually buy about a $4.50 whole chicken :) On the spices, I use about a teaspoon each.

While your chicken is cooking, pop both cans of biscuits. I use the cheapest, store brand, buttermilk. I put about 1 cup of flour on a paper plate and put all the biscuits on the plate. On a floured board or newspaper, put about 1/2 cup of flour to dredge the biscuits on both sides. Roll out your biscuits and cut into dumplings. I just make sure both sides are floured and roll it until it's about the size of my fist. Put a "dusting" on top of the plate of dumplings. This is just for added "thickness" to the broth.

Once your chicken is done, let it set on a plate until cool enough to handle, then de-bone and chop. While the chicken is cooling, add your 2 cans of cream of chicken soup to the broth and stir until blended. De-bone your chicken and add it to the pot. Check your broth to see if you need to add more salt or spices. Once your broth is back up to a nice boil, turn the heat down a bit, medium high, and start adding the dumplings. A few at a time. Once they are all in the pot, cook for an additional 15 minutes at medium and turn the heat off. Let it set a while. It will be hot. I LOVE the broth. Serve with rice and cornbread.