The best (and easiest) chicken & dumplings you'll ever have

*WARNING*  I am not responsible for any repercussions of making this dish.  That includes increased salivation, weight gain, obtaining a Southern accent, or if this is what your family asks you to make EVERY night for dinner.

I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner Monday night, and he said, "chicken and dumplings."  He's never requested anything like that, but I figured I could handle it, so I looked up a few recipes, combined a couple of them together, and went shopping for the things I needed.  Oh yeah, did I mention this is a crock-pot recipe?  And it doesn't require making dough from scratch (not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just hard if you don't have time).  I forgot to take a picture of the "before," with raw chicken and onions and clumpy soup (yes, it's canned soup time, so sue me!).  but, the further along it got, the better it looked.

At first I was worried that the dumplings were just going to fall apart.  I kept having to add liquid because it was so thick, the shredded chicken and spoon seemed to be tearing them apart.  But, it came out just right.  I just have to remember that dough expands as it cooks!  I am learning more and more how to tweak recipes and what I can and can't do to make something better.  I feel like for the first time in my life, I'm actually learning to cook!  However, since the spices I added on my own, and the liquids, I didn't exactly write the exact measurements down.  So, if it doesn't come out fabulous, let me know and I'll make sure to get the right measurements for the recipe. :-)  And as always, a good Southern recipe allows for a little wiggle room with ingredients and measurements.  This is SO simple but it is unbelievably good. 

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed, I always throw in frozen and they cook wonderfully)
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken & Mushroom
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Oregano
2 cans chicken stock (I just filled up the empty soup cans)
2 cans Pillsbury Grands! Buttermilk biscuits (or your favorite biscuits)

Directions:

Put everything except the biscuits into the crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is done.  When chicken is done, shred it with two forks.  About an hour before serving, tear or cut the biscuits into small 1 inch pieces.  If you use the Grands! biscuits, those are big, so I'd cut them into at least 6 pieces.  Toss the pieces into the crock pot and stir gently.  If it feels too thick, you can add a cup of water or more chicken stock.  Allow to cook for up to an additional hour to let the biscuits cook.  Enjoy!

*TIP*  I recently found a pin on Pinterest suggesting a new way to shred chicken breasts.  If you have a stand mixer, you can throw them in the bowl with the beater and put them on the lowest setting.  I did this and it works amazingly!  You have to keep it on a low setting and it only takes about 30 seconds.  Sure beats shredding them with forks!