Traditional chicken and dumplings can take hours to prepare. First, a chicken is boiled, cooled and the meat shredded. The boiling liquid is strained, brought back to a boil and then homemade noodles are added.

With my version, you place a chicken and vegetables in a crock pot, cover with water and let it simmer on low all day. When you come home in the evening, you're just 30 minutes away from real home cooking.

I begin by removing the skin from a whole chicken. Poultry shears are a handy gadget to help you get the chicken skinned fast, and skinless chicken releases less fat into the broth, saving time skimming the broth later on. (Skinning chicken wings is tricky, so I usually don't bother.)

For a quicker route, use skinless bone-in chicken breast halves or skinless, boneless chicken breast halves.

I used Mary Hill brand dumplings for testing purposes, but other brands are available. Look for frozen dumplings in the supermarket freezer section, near the frozen bread dough and frozen pastas.

If your family has a hectic schedule and you'll be eating in shifts, remove the dumplings from the chicken broth immediately after they're done. Otherwise, they will continue absorbing liquid until there is no broth left.

Ladle your homestyle, homemade chicken and dumplings into bowls and serve with a nice, green salad for some hearty home cooking.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Calories: 290

Fat: 11 g

Saturated Fat: 3.1 g

Protein: 23.6 g

Fiber: 1.5 g

Carbohydrates: 23.2 g

Sodium: 506 mg

Cholesterol: 63 mg

Nutrient analysis provided by Fran Frye, a licensed and registered dietitian of the Augusta District Dietetic Association. Send questions via e-mail to augustadietitian@yahoo.com.

1 3 1/2-pound chicken, skinned

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, washed and coarsely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 quarts water

1 12-ounce package frozen dumplings

Place the chicken in a 4- to 5-quart crockpot. Sprinkle the carrots, onion and celery over the chicken. Add the bay leaves and sprinkle in the salt, parsley, poultry seasoning and black pepper.

Pour in the water, cover and turn the crockpot on to the low setting. Let cook 8 hours, until chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the broth and remove the carrots.

Return the broth to the crockpot, set the carrots aside and discard the other vegetables. Cover the crockpot and turn it on to the high setting and bring to a simmer. Add the dumplings, cover and cook 20-30 minutes, until tender.

Shred the chicken and return it to the crockpot, along with the carrots, 10 minutes before serving, to heat through.

Makes 8 servings.

You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.