A Chicken in Every Pot

Today is Election Day

...and yes...I voted!

See...I've got my handy-dandy voting sticker right here...so everyone can see that I've done my civic duty.

Now I'm free to complain about politicians!

Some politician, some where, promised prosperity by saying that if he were elected there would be "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage."

(Hint: it was Herbert Hoover...during the depression)

So in honor of politicians everywhere, and seeing that it's Election Day...and it's freezing cold and I wanted to eat something warm and yummy and something "stick-to-your-ribs-ish"...

I made Chicken and Dumplings for dinner

 Salt and pepper your chicken and stick it in the oven to cook. Then start on your roux ("rue"...not "rock" or "ru-ex") A roux is a very handy thing to know how to do...you can use it to make gravy, sauces (cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese!) and chowder to name a few things. Besides, it makes you sound all gourmet-y when you say it. Melt your butter, add your flour and cook for a minute or two then whisk in your liquid...milk in this recipe. Cook until it thickens and...voila...see, we're talking French now!...you got yourself a sauce! Add in a little onion, some cream of chicken soup and some frozen peas.

 Drop in your cooked chicken. I use chicken tenders but you could use chunked up chicken if you wanted, as long as it's cooked and hot. Push them down in the cream sauce. Next you want to make your dumplings.

 Now I can make dumplings from scratch but seriously...tonight I'm trying to cook dinner and take pictures at the same time...so let's take a shortcut. Grab some BIScuit QUICK stuff, add a little milk, some parsley maybe a little onion salt and mix together.

 Drop it by spoonfuls on the bubbling cream sauce...I love the little bubbles in the picture! Sprinkle a little paprika on top...which I forgot to do...(sorry - between no paprika and no flash everything looks just a little warmy and yellowy). Turn the heat down to low (this stuff will stick to the bottom of the pan if it's too warm!) and cover. Let it steam/cook for about 10 minutes. Take off the lid and gently simmer for another 5-10 minutes. You can kind of stir around the outside a little but DON'T disturb the dumplings.

Dig in and enjoy!

Remember...the politicians we voted for today may take our taxes but they'll never take our dumplings!!

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp dried minced onion

1 cup frozen peas

1 can cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper the chicken and put in an oven-proof dish. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a large pot then stir in the flour. Cook and stir for a minute or two then whisk in the milk. Cook on medium-low until it thickens. Add the onion, frozen peas and cream of chicken soup. You may want to add a little more milk if it seems too thick. Add the cooked chicken.

DUMPLINGS

1 cup baking mix...oh heck, let's say it...Bisquick!

1/3 cup milk

(you can add in some dried parsley or onion salt if you like...you may also need to add just a skoosh more baking mix to make a semi-thick mix) Drop by spoonfuls onto the bubbling cream sauce and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook 5-10 minutes more.

Serves 4