Mommy's Time Out Magazine September 2017 | Page 17

CHEF'S SECRETS

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings (courtesy of Delish.com) Serves: 4

Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes – in slow cooker  Prep Time: 10 minutes

1 onion, chopped 1 ¼ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon oregano salt and pepper

2 teaspoons chopped parsley 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

thyme 1 bay leaf (to be removed later)

2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped or 1 small bag baby carrots

1 cup frozen peas, thawed 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1 tube of refrigerated biscuit dough ½ cup Parmesan or Romano grated cheese

2 cans cream of chicken soup (or homemade soup, recipe below)

* if you have a bag of mixed frozen vegetables – corn, carrots, peas, etc.- throw in 1 ½ - 2 cups

1. Evenly layer the bottom of a slow cooker with chopped onion and place chicken breasts on top of onions. Season chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper on both sides of chicken breasts.

2. Pour cream of chicken soup and chicken broth on top, then add thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Discard bay leaf, then shred the cooked chicken with two forks. Stir in celery, carrots, peas, and minced garlic.

4. If using premade biscuits: Cut the biscuits into small pieces. Top the chicken mixture with the biscuits and cook on high for another hour, until the vegetables are tender and the biscuits are cooked through. Garnish with parsley and a bit of cheese and serve.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (courtesy of APinchOfHealthy.com)

Prep Time: 1 minute; Cook Time: 5 minutes; Serving Size: 1 can

3 Tablespoons salted butter 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup chicken stock or broth½ cup milk

½ teaspoon garlic salt¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. In a small sauce pan (use a medium if doubling recipe), melt butter over medium low heat.

2. Add flour to the pan, and whisk together to make a roux (about 1 to 1.5 minutes)

3. Add the chicken broth and milk, and whisk together to smooth out the lumps

4. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes

5. Remove from heat and use as a regular can of condensed soup

WHAT'S COOKING

from the Kitchen of Alyscia McDermott