Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

I can remember staying with my other grandmother Virginia Branch on weekends in the little town of Dawson, Georgia.  She would always make chicken and dumplings.  I remember watching her do all the many steps in making this dish that I thought was fabulous.

 

So, if you've ever made chicken and dumplings, you know that it's an art to get the dumplings right. The secret is to add the dumplings to a "rolling, boiling" stock.  Now I am not going to profess that I can do this.  However, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't turn out right when doing this method. In the cases when the dumplings DON'T turn out alright, it is usually because, for lack of a better term, they melt. You can drop a lot of dumplings in the pot, but sometimes, when it's time to serve them, they've dissolved into the broth.

But in the South it just don’t matter.  When they are cooked good, they are wonderful.  But here is a twist on the classic Sunday Dinner favorite.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded*
2 cups chicken stock (from boiling the breasts above)
1 stick of butter ( 8 Tbsp which equals 1/2 cup)
2 cups Bisquick or self-rising flour
2 cups 2% milk (whatever you prefer)
1 can cream of chicken soup (the herbed cream of chicken soup adds lots more flavor)
3 t. Wylers chicken granules or 3 bouillon cubes
1/2 t. dried sage
1 t. black pepper & salt, as desired 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in sauce pan with enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat; place a lid on your pot and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. Remove chicken from stock (reserve the stock) and allow to cool, then shred the chicken.

When building the layered casserole, do not mix the layers.

Layer 1 - In 9x13 or larger casserole dish, melt 1 stick of butter.  Spread shredded chicken over butter.   Sprinkle black pepper and dried sage over this layer.  Note: If you want to serve this as a pot pie, add a layer of vegetables now. 

Layer 2 - In small bowl, mix milk and Bisquick. Slowly pour over chicken.

Layer 3 - In medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the chicken stock (strained, if needed), chicken granules and soup. Once blended, slowly pour over the Bisquick layer. (Tip - Add some of the hot stock to the soup can to help melt the soup and get it all out of the can).

Bake time varies by oven and the size pan you decide to use, therefore, bake until the top is golden brown- approx. 50-60 minutes.

Happy Cooking!