Canned Biscuits Are The Key To Easy Chicken And Dumplings That Still Hit The Spot

When the temperatures are frigid outside, cozy food is the way to go. Between the warm, creamy broth, shredded chicken, and buttery dumplings, chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food — but it can be quite a process to make from scratch. Aside from all the work that goes into the soup, making dumplings by hand can involve buying extra ingredients, whipping up a homemade dough, and rolling it out on a floured surface (if you're making rolled dumplings). But you don't have to put in hours of work to achieve this tasty comfort food.

To skip quite a few steps in this recipe, Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn recommends canned biscuits for her chicken and dumplings recipe. You can pick them up at most major grocery stores in the refrigerated section, right next to cans of cookie and pizza dough — just look for a buttermilk version, which will have the richest flavor. Unlike homemade biscuits, incorporating the canned stuff involves just a few steps: Forming the dough into the shape you'd prefer and dropping it in your simmering soup to cook. You'll have fewer dishes and overall mess, but you'll still get light, fluffy dumplings that are just as tasty as the homemade version.

There are a few different shapes you can form with your canned dough, depending on how big you want your biscuits to be. Try cutting each biscuit into fourths, or even eighths, before dropping the pieces in your soup. Not only will they cook up more quickly, but they'll turn into the ideal size for fitting into your spoon once your dish is done. You can even cut your dough into strips, which will cook up quickly and more evenly than a whole dumpling and are easier to slice with a spoon. If you don't mind the extra step, you can also toss your chopped dough in flour to thicken your soup up even more.

Whichever option you go with, it's crucial to make sure you cook your dumplings for the right amount of time, which will vary depending on their size. Undercooked biscuits are mushy and gummy, while overcooking can cause them to fall apart in your broth. If you're making this dish in the slow cooker, you may also want to blind-bake your dough ahead of time, since your device won't reach the same high temperature as a pot on the stove. To test if yours are done after any cooking method, insert a toothpick — if it emerges clean, and your dumplings are light and fluffy, you're good to go.