Recipe Swap - Chicken and Black Pepper Dumplings

I am participating in the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap today.

One of my favorite go-to, comfort foods in the winter time is Chicken and Dumplings. I grew up eating them and have always loved them. I have discovered there are many different ways to go about making them. I grew up with the chicken-broth type and love them. But I discovered a creamier and thicker version I love even more.

I'm going to include the "original" recipe that I began with. I don't remember where it came from, but I fell in love the first time I make them.

However, it doesn't make enough for my family, and is a bit thicker than I like. So I just add stuff as I see fit and make it to suit me. So following the recipe, I'll include some changes I make.

Chicken and Black Pepper Dumplings

Soup:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup cut up cooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

Dumplings:

1 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Heat milk, chicken and soup to boiling.

Mix Bisquick, milk and pepper until soft dough forms.

Drop by spoonfuls onto chicken mixture. 

Cook, uncovered over low heat 10 minutes.

Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Sprinkle with parsly if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Ok, I'm not big on exact measurements, so I just add additional ingredients as I like. I at least double the milk, and add an extra can of cream of chicken soup. I don't measure my chicken, but put quite a bit more in than it calls for. If I feel it's still too thick, I add more milk or a little chicken broth. If it needs it, I add salt as well.
For the dumplings - I double the mixture. We like lots of pepper in ours, but it ends up being too peppery for our daughter. So I stick pretty close to the measurement there, but we add extra pepper to our bowls. I've found that the dumplings do better if I do them in smaller amounts, so I use about a half of a spoon for a dumpling. We like lots of dumplings in ours; you may like less, so experiment with it.
I have also found that the dumplings taste better if they cook a little longer, so I do about 15 minutes uncovered and then 15 minutes covered. The longer they cook, the better the texture. If you don't cook them long enough, the dumplings are more biscuit-y. I don't care for them as much that way.

I could eat these all winter long, they are so wonderful and creamy. I make a big pot so I'm sure to have enough for lunch or dinner the next day!