Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings II

Makes 8 Servings

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 bouillon cubes
*If using thawed chicken, add 2 cups water. If the chicken is frozen, this is not necessary as it creates its own juices.*
2 cups peas (thawed or frozen)
2 cups baking mix
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
4-6 teaspoons cornstarch
4-6 teaspoons cold water
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Directions:

Place chicken in the crockpot and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour the cream of chicken soup over the chicken, spreading evenly on top. Place the bouillon cubes equally throughout the crock. *If using thawed chicken, pour the 2 cups of water evenly around the sides of the crock. If frozen, no additional water is needed.* Cook on low for 4 hours, then switch to high and cook for another 30 minutes. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl with a whisk until completely dissolved. Use 4 teaspoons for a thinner gravy, 6 for thicker. Stir the mixture into the liquid in the crock, stirring until combined. Stir in the peas and cook for another 30 minutes. (If your peas are already thawed, you can skip the additional 30 minutes and just let it cook for an hour after switching it to high, then stir them in just before putting the dumplings in. But if they are frozen, they will lower the temperature of the mixture, which is why you need to let it get bubbly again before adding the dumplings.) *Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through at this point* Once it comes to a boil (or bubbling slightly) again, mix together the baking mix, parsley, cheese and 2/3 cup of milk. Add an additional tablespoon or two of milk and stir again--you want the consistency to be wetter and stickier than your usual biscuit dough so that you get nice and moist dumplings. Drop by heaping spoonfuls on top of the boiling mixture in the crockpot and cook on high for another hour, or until dough is cooked through and no longer "doughy".

This was super easy and delicious. My kids LOVED it! They love for me to add cheese to the dumplings, but you can certainly leave it out if you prefer. If your crock tends to take longer for cook times, it may run at a lower temperature and you may prefer to bake the dumplings in the oven--450 for 10 minutes--before putting them into the crock, or serving the chicken mixture on top of them, however you like it. This is the perfect weeknight meal. I started this at noon today and it was ready by 6 before hubby went to work. We were doing renovations on our guest bathroom ALL day long, so this was perfect for us to have a home-cooked meal without spending hours over the stove, giving me more time to work on the bathroom. Gotta love that!