Chicken and Dumplings

So this weekend I was talking to my Grandma Jackie on the phone and she suggested I make chicken and dumplings for the blog. I've never made this dish, I've never even tasted this dish, but I decided to accept her challenge. She's a Brooklyn girl, but for the last decade or so she's lived down in Texas, so she wanted me to whip up some Southern comfort food. I was initially wary about creating my own version of this dish. I wanted to find a way to make it comforting and delicious without a ton of added calories and sodium. I compromised by cutting out butter, using lean chicken breast and low sodium chicken broth, and substituting whole wheat flour instead of white. To add lots of delicious flavor, I used fresh herbs. I also flavored the dumplings themselves with rosemary and black pepper.

I was shocked by how incredibly tasty and filling this dish was. It was simple to make and really comforting. The only thing I would do differently is to try and keep the dumpling size uniform. The dough was so sticky I had trouble getting them the same size.

Full recipe after the jump


Ingredients: Chicken
1.25lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
3 medium carrots, chopped into 1" chunks
4 stalks of celery, cut into chunks
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh sage
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp black pepper
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp whole wheat flour

Ingredients: Dumplings
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp black pepper

Step by Step Instructions:
1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat, 2-3 minutes

2. Add chicken chunks and brown on all sides, 4-6 minutes

3. Sprinkle chicken with 1 tbsp flour and continue to brown

4. Remove chicken from heat and set aside

5. Add celery and carrots to onion mixture and saute for 5-6 minutes

6. Add chicken broth, herbs, salt and pepper, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes

7. Add chicken and 1 tbsp flour, add some more salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer 15 minutes

8. In a mixing bowl, whisk together dumpling ingredients

9. Using a tablespoon, drop chunks of batter onto the chicken

10. Cover immediately, turn the heat up to medium and cook for 11-12 minutes

11. Dumplings will puff up and become firm to the touch when cooked through.

12. Serve