Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings

Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings

Burris, Ken

Provided by: EatingWell

1 hr total 45 mins prep 458 calories/serving Full Screen

Servings

Our revision of creamy chicken and dumplings uses whole-wheat flour for the dumplings and adds lots of vegetables to the filling. The delicious, satisfying results are packed with beneficial nutrients and dietary fiber, and because we don’t use canned soup for the sauce, sodium levels are drastically reduced. To go even lighter, try the recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• Dumplings
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip)

Directions

• 1. Toss chicken with 2/3 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reserving the remaining flour, add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• 2. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Stir in carrots, celery, onion, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in broth, water, peas and the reserved chicken. Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
• 3. To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, stir whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk.
• 4. Drop the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, over the simmering chicken stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

• Filed under:
• Chicken,
• Vegetable,
• American,
• Low Cholesterol,
• Low Fat,
• High Fiber,
• Healthy,
• Main Dish,
• Dinner,
• Soup,
• Fall,
• Winter

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This recipe uses part whole-wheat flour, which results in a heartier dumpling. Buttermilk keeps the dough tender. Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make the dish even lighter.

Comments

[wyldpatienz50]

02:36 PM on 12/22/2011

If you're a bit daunted by making your own dumplings, you can always go the easy route and cut up flour tortillas. They don't puff up like a true dumpling but are more like noodles. My mother was tried and true Southern and I don't think she even knew what a "drop dumpling" was. She made hers and rolled them out, using a well-floured tea glass as a rolling pin. Drop dumplings also tend to be a bit gooey and doughy inside. If you don't want to roll and cut your dumplings, try the flour tortillas, they're better then the drop dumplings any day.