You already know that, if you ask me, whatever the (dinner) question, gluten free biscuits are the answer (preferably the Extra Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from page 227 of GFOAS Bakes Bread, but the Gluten Free Biscuits from the blog are mighty fine, too). So I always ALWAYS have at least one batch of shaped round biscuits in my freezer. Just make a batch, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then pile them into a zip-top bag until you’re ready to use them. If you’re baking them as-is, there’s no need to defrost them at all. If you’re planning to shape them in some other way before baking (or cooking), just let them defrost in the refrigerator (it doesn’t take very long at all—a couple hours at most). You already knew that. But maybe you didn’t know this: put together those amazing biscuits with some chicken stock and our homemade cream of chicken soup (long live D.I.Y. Fridays!) along with some cooked cubed chicken, maybe a couple vegetables, and you have a near-instant, super-easy gluten free chicken and dumplings.
The only ingredients you really actually need for this recipe are 4: the condensed soup, biscuits, cubed chicken and chicken stock. The carrots, celery thyme, bay leaf, thyme and parsley? Strictly optional. Oh and I have also taken to cooking skinless boneless chicken breasts with simple salt, pepper and olive oil under the broiler (see full instructions below), then cubing the chicken and freezing it in freezer bags for some of the quickest meals ever. Like this one! Of course, you already know that the condensed soup can be made at least a week ahead of time. And since it already has mountains of flavor, a thick and rich chicken and dumpling soup is a no-brainer.
The flaky biscuits make some of the simplest, most delicious dumplings you’ve ever tasted—and we slice them small enough that they cook very quickly (about 3 minutes in the boiling soup) but not so small that they fall apart. 8 wedges per round biscuit is the perfect size. Now that’s a weeknight meal everyone can get behind!
1 recipe gluten free biscuit dough (I used the Extra Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from page 227 of GFOAS Bakes Bread, but the Gluten Free Biscuits from the blog would work just fine, too—try using buttermilk in place of milk or cream), chilled
6 cups (48 fluid ounces) chicken stock, plus more if necessary to thin the soup
1 cup peeled and shredded carrots (from about 3 medium carrots)
1/3 cup minced celery (from about 1 medium celery stalk)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
1 recipe (about 3 1/2 cups by volume or about 24 ounces by weight) gluten free cream of chicken soup (without the added cooked chicken)—or you can use 2 containers of Pacific Cream of Chicken Soup, which is gluten free
2 cups cooked cubed chicken*
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for sprinkling (optional)
*I just placed 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts on a greased and lined baking sheet, sprinkled them on both sides with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil. Then I placed them under my oven’s broiler for about 12 minutes, flipping them about halfway through, or until they were cooked all the way through. You can also use a store-bought gluten free rotisserie chicken, which would make things simple and still delicious!
Using a sharp knife, slice each chilled round biscuit into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the soup.
In a large stockpot, place the 6 cups chicken stock, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the celery has softened. Uncover the pot, remove the bay leaf and thyme with a strainer. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add them to the pot. Add the cream of chicken soup, stir to combine and return to a gentle boil.
Add the chilled biscuit wedges to the boiling liquid and stir gently to make sure the biscuits don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through. They will float to the bottom of the pot after a minute or so. Uncover the pot, add the cubed chicken and stir gently to combine (taking care not to break up any of the dumplings). Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook until the chicken is heated through. Add more chicken stock to thin the soup if you prefer it a bit thinner, stirring gently to combine. Ladle into deep bowls, sprinkle with the optional parsley and serve hot.
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