Easy-"Pea"zy Chicken & Dumplings

So, you have my ultimate comfort food. When my bubby passed away 3 years ago, my grandma and I tried to recreate her chicken and dumplings. It was relatively easy, my grandmother had watched her. We simplified it, and now I make it constantly. When my grandmother got sick and I was at college, I made this with a friend, and it's warmth definitely helped me through the week. Today, I feel awfully nostalgic making it for the first time since my grandma passed. I guess that's why I love food so much, it's powers are unbelievable.

Anywho,
Easy-"Pea"zy Chicken & Dumplings.
Perfect for the winter chills, or a homesick heart.

Ingredients:
2 cans of campbells cream of chicken soup
Milk (2 cans worth for the stew, and 4/3 for the dumplings)
chicken (grandmas made with bones, i prefer boneless.)
a box of bisquick

a can of peas (and carrots, if you'd like)

adobo, salt, and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Start by adding the 2 cans of soup and 2 cans of milk to a LARGE pot. trust me, it might fit before the dumplings, but needs triple the space once you add it. Bring to a boil
2. Cut up chicken, season with adobo, salt, and pepper to taste. and add oil to a pan. sauté until cooked.
3. leave chicken on the side, and follow the dumpling instructions on the side of the bisquick box. make double the amount it lists. (it's like, 2/3 cup of milk, two cups of bisquick. double it.) don't mix with a spoon, use a fork.
4. When the stew is bubbling, (make sure you stir it constantly!) add hand fulls of dumplings, dont roll them together, they aren't meat balls and they'll be hard as rocks. if you don't like to get your hands dirty, fine. fork them in.
5. let simmer untouched for 10 minutes, then cover for 10 minutes
6. uncover, and incorporate peas and chicken. serve!

it's important that the cream of chicken and the milk are blended well, and at a medium heat. otherwise, it will get gross on the bottom of the pot.

you can cut the chicken however you choose, however i like to keep it chunky so that way i can pick good proportions with the fluffy dumplings.

it is imperative that the dumplings are not over mixed so they are dumplings,  not rocks

once you drop the batter in, it will swell up. don't touch it! trust the pot.

i like to just sauté the chicken like so.

once the dumplings are fully cooked, add chicken and peas! (carrots also if that is what you wanted)

and voila! here you are! comfort food 101.

On this cold, lonely rainy day, make yourself some love in under and hour.
-Brooke

ps. photos to come soon, just can't upload them from my computer.