Chicken and Dumpling Stew

One of the best ways to survive a cold winter evening at home is to fill your belly with something warm and comforting, such as our featured recipe for today, Chicken and Dumpling Stew.

Had I known how easy it was to make dumplings I certainly wouldn’t have waited this long to try.  Having never made dumplings before, and having not even eaten one since I was a kid, this dish brought back some wonderful memories of my childhood. If you were to look up “comfort food” in the dictionary, I believe that Chicken and Dumplings should be the first definition listed.

The dish takes a little while to prepare as there is a lot of chopping and cutting going on.  I like to get all of my ingredients prepared and ready before I start the cooking process. That is particularly true with this dish because of the many items that need to be included in the pot, each at a specific time.  So with this recipe it is critical to have everything measured out and ready ahead of time.  It would be much too confusing to try to read, cut, mix, blend and cook all at the same time.  

From our kitchen to yours. Enjoy the adventure.

Chicken and Dumpling Stew

Ingredients  

 

Chicken and Dumpling Stew

2 tsp Canola Oil

1 pound Chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes

½ tsp Kosher Salt

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 medium Carrots, chopped

2 stalks Celery, chopped

3 ½ cups low-fat, low sodium Chicken broth

1 medium Potato, peeled, uncooked, cubed, we used a Russet Potato

¼ cup String Beans, uncooked, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup frozen Peas

1 & 2/3 cup Bisquick® Reduced fat baking mix

2/3 cup non-fat or reduced fat Milk

 

1 ½ tsp dried Sage

½ tsp Black Pepper, coarsely ground

Instructions

Heat 1 tsp Canola Oil in a large non-stick pot over medium-high heat. Add the Chicken; sprinkle with Salt, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes.  Transfer the Chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining teaspoon of Canola Oil to the same pot, and then add the Onion, Carrots and Celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and turn slightly brown, about 6 minutes. Add the Chicken broth and Potato; bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, covered, until the Potato is almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the Green Beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the browned Chicken and the Peas; heat through, about 2 minutes.

To prepare the Dumplings, combine the Bisquick®, Milk, Sage and  Pepper in a bowl, using a spoon, until a soft dough forms.

Drop the Dough, by big rounded tablespoonfuls, into the simmering stew, making a total of 6 Dumplings. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Then cover and simmer until the Dumplings have doubled in size and are cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.

Yields 1 cup of Stew and 1 Dumpling per serving.  Weight Watcher PointsPlus value per serving is 7. Prep time is about 35 minutes. Cooking time is about 32 minutes. Level of difficulty is Moderate.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh