if stove-top stuffing was a casserole...

...this is what it would look and taste like. Wildcat Guy laughed at me when I made this comparison, but the mouth-watering smell of this casserole reminded me so much of Stove-Top stuffing that it's the best description I can offer (and cross my fingers that that description doesn't deter anyone from trying it)!

The original recipe (from the December 2010 Family Circle magazine) was titled "Chicken & Dumplings" - but really, this is so different from any chicken & dumplings I've had that I am renaming my slightly-modified version "Chicken Dumpling Casserole."

filling ingredients *
1/4 cup, butter
1 - 1 and 1/4 cups, finely chopped carrots (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup, diced white onion
2 teaspoons, minced refrigerated garlic
1 teaspoon, poultry seasoning
2 jars (24 ounces), chicken gravy
meat from one rotisserie chicken, cut into pieces
1 and 3/4 cups, frozen peas
salt and pepper, to taste

dumpling ingredients *
2 cups, baking mix (like Bisquick)
2/3 cup, buttermilk

instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. (filling) In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic and poultry seasoning (and pause for a moment to enjoy the smell of Stove-Top stuffing). Cook until tender (approximately 5 minutes). Add gravy, and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and peas, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into prepared baking dish.

3. (dumplings) In a medium bowl, blend baking mix and buttermilk until moist. Drop by spoonfuls over the filling.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes more (or until dumplings are cooked). Serve and enjoy!

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: just finished February 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine

* The ingredients in this recipe were modified for product availability (i.e. what I could and couldn't find at the grocery store) and for personal taste preference. If you're interested in seeing the original recipe, let me know and I can email it to you.