Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Life has been very hectic around here lately, and I’ve found myself cooking less and less when I get home from work.  In order to make a nice meal for my hubby and I to enjoy after a long day, I decided that I need to utilize my slow cooker more.  I love slow cooker recipes, but I have a tendency to make the same old soups and chili.  It finally hit me that there are tons of great recipes I can make with my slow cooker besides the same old standbys.  I decided I’d make chicken and dumplings – it’s comfort food and exactly the dish we wanted waiting for us when we walked in the door!  This dish came out delicious and was a nice alternative to the usual fare that my hubby and I eat.  The best part was the smell that consumed us as we walked through the door.  It was so nice to have dinner ready to go too!

Disclaimer:  Do not eat this dish right before you go to a Zumba class.  Your tummy will be too full to move!  Give it like 1-2 hours to digest.  🙂

In other news, I finally got around to purchasing my URL.  My new blog address is HappyWhenNotHungry.com.  (Don’t worry if you’ve already subscribed to my blog, WordPress automatically forwards your info on.)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 pounds of chicken thighs (I used bone-in, but took the skin off)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp minced parsley, plus more for sprinkling
• ½ tsp allspice
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to season
• 1 can refrigerated biscuits
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp flour

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, saute onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken thighs liberally with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
3. On top of the chicken, add the sautéed onions, carrots, and celery, chicken broth, wine, bay leaf, parsley, and allspice.
4. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
5. When chicken is done, remove thighs from slow cooker and allow to cool.
6. Turn slow cooker on high.
7. While chicken is cooling, mix flour and cream together in a small bowl, then stir into slow cooker.
8. Open package of biscuits, cut each one into 4 pieces and drop into slow cooker.
9. Cook biscuits until they are firm about 45-60 minutes.
10. After biscuits have cooked and chicken has cooled, de-bone and return to slow cooker.
11. Serve chicken and dumplings in a bowl while hot.
12. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.