Buuuut…. I couldn’t let my kids grow up without once trying Chicken Dumplings, now could I? What kind of mother would I be?! So I found a recipe that made it easy. I can’t say it’s very tasty… they liked it OK, but I didn’t care for it. It is certainly palatable, but I don’t like cream sauces… and this had more sauce then chicken. The original recipe is at Disney Family Food (a new recipe website I’ve discovered). I altered it a little. Here’s what I did.

Like Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 soup cans water
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients, except biscuits, in 4 1/2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker.
2. Cut biscuits into quarters and gently stir into mixture. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours.

Tip
Don’t add water to the CROCK-POT® slow cooker, unless the recipe specifically says to do so. Foods don’t lose as much moisture during slow cooking as they can during conventional cooking, so follow the recipe guidelines for best results.

OK, I doubled the recipe. The “2 cans” soup water made for a LOT of water. I did it anyway….

Looks… interesting….

It was just too watery. So I added potatoes. And carrots. All the Chicken and Dumpling recipes I ever saw had potatoes and carrots. This was turning more into a Chicken Stew…. but I wasn’t going to eat canned cream of chicken soup and chicken cubes! It just didn’t seem enough. Adding the potatoes probably diluted a little of the saltiness from the “bouillon” granules (I used Ramen packets). So more salt is necessary.

End result?

Not TOO bad. I skipped the refrigerated biscuits and served fresh rolls instead. The kids liked dipping the rolls into the soup. And the chicken was marvelously tender and moist. But the overall taste….. eh. OK. It’s always the creamy sauce stuff that I don’t care for.

So this was an OK recipe. I don’t intend to make it again, unless the kids beg me. And they probably won’t. The WILL beg me for Tortellini with Edamame and Kielbasa, which I am going to make again.

Super Easy Chicken Florentine
serves 6-8

Chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and cubed
2 cans Alfredo sauce
1 28oz. can spinach -or- three handfuls of raw baby leaf spinach
Parmesan cheese
Paprika

optional: shredded mozzarella cheese

The chicken can either be cubed into chunks or left whole in the casserole dish. I vary from week to week, depending on if I am feeling lazy or not. One of the many great things about having teenagers is that you can sit down and just EAT DINNER. You don’t have to go around, plate to plate, cutting everyone’s meat. But sometimes I pre-cube the chicken, sometimes I throw the whole breasts in the dish and let the family hack it out. Whatever floats yer boat.

One tip: cut the chicken while it’s slightly frozen. Completely thawed chicken is jiggly and squirmy. I pull my chicken out of the freezer and thaw it on the countertop for about two hours before slicing. I know “they” say you aren’t supposed to thaw meat on the counter!! I live dangerously, I guess.

So, put your chicken in the dish. Open the can of spinach and drain it thoroughly. I do the canned spinach in the winter, and the raw spinach in the summer (from my garden). If the raw spinach has large leaves, shred them up by hand into smaller pieces. Lay them on top of the chicken.

Open up the Alfredo sauce jars and pour both on top of the spinach.

This is where it gets fun: mix with your hands!

Yum! OK, if you are squeamish, go ahead and use a spoon. Fraidy cat. I grew up in an Italian home, where we loved to dig into the mixture. My kids think I’m weird, but…. it’s kind of fun.

After you’ve mixed it, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese to the top. Not too much! Just enough to give the sauce a little kick. At this point you can add a little mozzarella cheese if you wish. Don’t add too much, because the dish will become too cheesy. Just a small handful of shredded cheese will do. I prefer to make the dish without the cheese, but some of the kids like the cheesy taste. Sprinkle paprika for color.

Place the dish into your oven, 350 degrees for an hour. If you are using whole chicken breasts, make the time about an hour and a half. You’ll know it’s all ready when the sauce is bubbling and the top of the mix is golden brown. I almost always check one of the breasts, to make sure it’s thoroughly done inside.

Like I said, you can serve this with rice, egg noodles, pasta. It’s delicious! You can serve this with a side dish of steamed broccoli florets or small pre-cooked carrot slices. Yummy!