Refrigerated biscuits are a working mom's cheat when trying to get chicken and dumplings on the table before the kids have a hunger meltdown. But the next time chicken and dumplings is on the menu, skip the refrigerated biscuits and make your own dumplings from scratch. Once you realize how easy it is to make this doughy comfort food, you'll leave never go back to the pre-made biscuits.

Almost every culture has its own version of the dumpling. From the doughy version used for your chicken stew to Chinese dumplings filled with meat and veggies. What makes a dumpling a dumpling is the dough and how it's cooked, usually boiled or steamed. Like many comfort foods, including chili and chowder, dumplings were initially used as a way to add more bulk to a meat dish.

While these four-ingredient dumplings make the perfect topper for chicken and dumplings, you can also add them to soup or beef stew.

Total Time: 20 minutes | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Serves: 20

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. In a sifter over a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
2. Add milk to the flour and mix to combine. The dough should be sticky.
3. With a soup spoon, add drops of dough to boiling water or broth and cook for 5 minutes.

If you're of Eastern European descent, you may remember your mom making a dense dumpling she'd serve with sauerkraut and applesauce. This simple dumpling is made from saltine crackers, eggs and milk, which are combined to make a sticky dough. To cook, the dough is dropped in large spoonfuls into boiling water and cooked for 5 to 10 minutes. These dense dumplings make a good side dish for roasted pork or chicken.

The recipe for Chinese dumplings is also very simple, combining flour, cold water and oil to make a firm dough that's refrigerated, rolled thin and cut into circles. The circles are then filled with a meat or vegetable mixture, sealed with egg whites and steamed until the meat or veggies are cooked through.