slow cooker love: chicken and dumplings.

It all started with a slow cooker.

I used to call it a "crock pot," which is the genericized trademark name. However, out of respect for my new and beloved appliance, which is not made by Rival (who makes the "Crock Pot" line), but by Hamilton Beach, I call it a slow cooker. Slow cookers are tortoises in the cooking world, the culinary equivalent of slow and steady wins the race. The best part of using a slow cooker is coming home. You've had a rough day, no one understands you, traffic was crappy, and then, your house smells like someone loves you. Someone does love you. It was you, eight hours ago.

So it all started with a slow cooker because that's how I really started getting into cooking. As a novice, the idea of throwing a bunch of raw ingredients in a container and going away for hours appealed to me. That is my kind of cooking. While I have since advanced to recipes that require occasional stirring (and one ca-razy one where I had to flip something), I still have a deep appreciation for the negligent method of dinner preparation.

I see my slow cooker as a friend and ally in this confusing food world, a trusted confederate, a kitchen gadget with a Protestant work ethic. "Go on to work," she cries, for why shouldn't she be a she? "Go earn more money to buy more raw ingredients! I'll stay here and make sure that you have a warm meal to come home to, so that you'll have energy to go out and do it again tomorrow! And leftovers! There will be leftovers!" The more I think about it, the more my slow cooker and I are starting to sound like a married couple in the 50s. She did ask me to balance her checkbook once.

So if you haven't done it lately, give your slow cooker a little love. Along with some chicken and spices.

Note this recipe is a convenience recipe, meaning it's only one step removed from buying a can of chicken and dumplings soup. There are ways to make your cream of whatever soup, and I do know them. But I'm not telling, because, honestly, I'm not quite there yet in terms of my culinary devotion to "made from scratch." So even though it's a long ways from your Amish grandmother's soup, it doesn't taste that way. Feel free to add your own spices and whatnot. Also, I shred the chicken after it's been cooking for a while, though you could cube it before cooking.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
ripped shamelessly and modified only slightly from Allrecipes

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


• 2 T butter


• 1 (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup


• 1 (10.75 oz) condensed cream of celery soup


• 1 onion, chopped


• 2 (10 oz) package refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.


2. Cover, and cook for 7 to 8 hours on low. About an hour before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Shred chicken. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.