Chicken and fluffy dumplings

It was a very cold and snowy day here in Colorado. A hearty stew sounded delicious for dinner. Given what staples I had on hand I decided a chicken based stew would be in order. So I whipped up a batch of chicken stock and laid my plan of attack. A trip to the store was not happening so I had to use what I had on hand, frozen corn and green beans. Both of those veggies should lend good flavor to the stew and I know my daughter will eat them both.

The dumplings are puffy and soft. They are little clouds of deliciousness! The herb blend in the dumplings add a nice, but not overpowering herb flavor. This is a very rich and hearty stew, perfect for cold nights. And its really quick cooking, less than an hour from start to finish, can't ask for much more than that!

Chicken and dumplings
serves 4
8 oz chicken breast (1 whole) sliced thin against the grain
4 cups homemade chicken stock (canned broth will work)
2 T butter
1/4 c flour
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery sliced
1/2 c frozen corn
1/2 c frozen green beans
handful frozen peas, optional
2 T heavy cream, optional
Kosher salt and pepper

Dumplings:
1 c flour
3/4 t kosher salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 t poultry seasoning
2 T cold butter cut into cubes
1/4 to 1/2 c milk (start w/ 1/4 and add more if need be)

Make a roux out of the butter and flour. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and add chicken, celery and carrots. Simmer 5 minutes while you make up dumpling batter.

In a food processor pulse the flour, poultry seasoning, salt and baking soda. Add butter cubes, pulse until you have very fine crumbs, like cornmeal. Pour flour mixture into a bowl and slowly stir in the milk. You want a fairly thick batter, similar in consistency of cookie dough.

Add the frozen veggies and cream to the stew. Stir well to incorporate.

Using a cookie scoop (or use a tablespoon) drop dumplings onto the top of the stew. You'll get about 12 dumplings. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID WHILE DUMPLINGS COOK! The steam along with the simmering is what cooks and puffs the dumplings.



nutritional information provided by Sparkpeople recipe calculator
Nutrition Facts
Chicken and fluffy dumplings
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 399.4
Total Fat 16.5 g
Saturated Fat 9.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.6 g
Cholesterol 82.9 mg
Sodium 2,210.9 mg
Potassium 389.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 41.0 g
Dietary Fiber 2.8
Sugars 4.4 g
Protein 20.9 g