My son reminds me that when you are in college, you don’t have a great deal of time to deal with cooking and cleaning.  Knowing my son as I do, he is also hungry all of the time.  Ex-linemen (like he and I are) generally suffer that malady.  When we are talking about fast cooking for a college guy with a football appetite and virtually empty pockets, we had better be talking about easy, one pot and very inexpensive.  Here’s a recipe for a one pot (5 quart Sauce pant for the basic recipe) chicken and “dumplings) recipe the you will find not satisfying and comforting, but also delicious and very handy for those nights when you just don’t feel up to the two hour ordeal that the real recipe is.

Flour Tortilla Chicken and Dumplings –

Ingredients –

2 cups - Cooked Chicken – Doesn’t matter how it’s cooked, as long as it has no skin.  I like to boil some boneless skinless breasts in chili spices for this.  I’ve done some chili spiced thighs on the George Foreman Grill, too.  You could just buy a rotisserie chicken or use some take out.  Remember to peel it (Take the skin off). Cut it into bite sized chunks.

4 cups – Chicken Stock -      Again, it doesn’t matter where this comes from.  Boxed or canned it the fastest.  Knorr’s instant chicken broth mix is the next fastest (watch your salt levels, because this stuff is really salty). You can use the spicy water from boiling those boneless breasts, if you wish. (Watch the salt the other way.  Although spicy, this may need seasoning.  I like Mexican smoked salt, if you can find it.  Use what you like).

1 Carrot -                              Dice this and boil it in the chicken broth until tender

1 small Onion -                      Boil it in the stock, as well.

½ rib of Celery -                    Put it in with the other two, but watch the amount on this.  Celery is a recipe hog.  It can take over the whole dish. A bit goes along way.

1 small can corn –                  I like Mexican corn, as you might have guessed.

1 small can green chilies – Yes, put them in there!  They aren’t hot, if you buy green chilies.  Don’t use jalapeños or serranos, unless you want it hot with spice.

1 Package - flour tortillas -     Cut these into strips about ¾” to 1” wide. You can make them into little squares, if you want them to be bite sized in the pot.

Fresh Parsley -                      To taste

1 stick – Butter -                   Actual butter is always best, but use what you have.

- Put the stock in a pan and boil the vegetables until tender (also boil the chicken, if that is what you are doing).

            - If you have already cooked chicken, put it in now.

            - Bring to a boil.

- Put in the butter and melt thoroughly.

            - Put in tortilla strips

            - Stir to separate tortilla strips and melt butter. Gently!

- Take off of heat.

- Thicken with corn starch dissolved in one cup of broth, if desired (makes a kind        of gravy of the liquid.  It’s good that way.)

- Add Parsley.

Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Eat it all gone!