Recipe Club Review - Chicken and Dumplings

I'm a member of an online discussion board that really has nothing to do with cooking and mostly everything to do with my love of a certain mouse. Anyhow, on said board, there exists a recipe club. One that I've been following for quite some time, but have never blogged any of the recipe selections. It's time for a change. The recipe of the month of February was chosen with the cold weather in mind, for sure. The person who chose this recipe used a trusted source for her comfort food selection, the Pioneer Woman Cooks. If you've never seen the Pioneer Woman's recipes you really should check out her blog. But be aware, her recipes are rarely low fat and almost always tasty! So, as you know, I can rarely leave a recipe alone, so here's my take on the Pioneer Woman's chicken and dumplings. It was the perfect dinner to have waiting for you when you've just come home from a REALLY cold baseball practice.

I have to say that I used whole wheat flour in lieu of the regular white flour to make this dish a bit more South Beach friendly, but with that being said, this is a phase three recipe at best. That might even be a stretch. This recipe can be made gluten free (GF) by using GF flour in place of regular flour. I also took the liberty of adding a generous portion of fresh dill. I absolutely couldn't pass it up. I received a beautiful bunch in my Harvest2U CSA shipment and it was calling to me.

Chicken and Dumplings (with a slightly South Beach friendly twist)

Here's what you'll need:

#1 on your list should be patience. This is by no means a difficult recipe, but it does take a bit of time to make.

• 2 Tablespoons Butter (Margarine if you are on SB)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ cup All Purpose Flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (I actually used four thighs)
• Salt And Pepper
• ½ cups Finely Diced Carrots
• ½ cups Finely Diced Celery
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• ½ teaspoon Thyme (I skipped this)
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
• MY ADDITION - 1 generous handfull of chopped fresh dill
• 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• ½ cups Apple Cider
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• Dumplings:
• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour (again, I used whole wheat)
• ½ cups Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1-½ cup Half-and-half
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (I subbed chopped fresh dill in it's place)
• Salt As Needed

Start by sprinkling your bird with salt and pepper. Then dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. Then, in a dutch/french oven heat butter or margarine and olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken by cooking it about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pot and place it aside. 

It's OK if it's undercooked, it's going back into the pot to finish it's cooking soon.

 Next, toss in those onions, celery and carrots that you've already diced. Yes, into the pot you just took the chicken out of. And, NO, don't wash the pot first! Those chicken bits and drippings are going to equate to some serious yumminess. Cook these veggies down for 4-5 minutes and then toss in the turmeric and dill (or thyme if you are using it). 

Stir this all together and then add the chicken broth/stock and your apple cider. Once that's done, put your chicken back into the pot. Now, put the cover on the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. 

During this time you can put together the dumpling dough. It's totally simple. Really, really simple. Put the dry dumpling ingredients (including parsley/dill) into a large bowl and mix together. Then add your half and half, I used fat free because that's what I had. Stir everything together.

Once the 20 minutes has elapsed, remove the chicken from the pot and de-bone it, pulling the meat apart with two forks. Return the meat to the pot once it's de-boned. 

When the chicken is back in the pot, pour in the heavy cream and stir. If you're concerned about the fat in the cream that you can use fat free half and half or skim milk, but the cream just gives it a richness that I did not want to sacrifice the first time I tried this recipe.

OK, now that the cream is well incorporated, it's time to add the dumplings. Just plop them into the pot about a tablespoon at a time. Once you've done this, just put the lid back on the pot and let the dumplings work their magic for about 15 more minutes. That's it. Just serve and enjoy. I loved this recipe. Heck, I do enjoy most of the Pioneer Woman's recipes!