Chicken Stew and Cheesy Dumplings

Last weekend my mom and I’s mini cooking spree ended with an amazing stew. It was cold outside and we wanted something that would warm us up. So we decided to do something different than the usual chili or turkey soup. We choose Chicken stew and a last minute decision to make cheese dumplings too. After briefly looking for a recipe online I came across Giada’s recipe on the Food Network website. Well, we didn’t have everything that her recipe called for and also wanted to change a few things, so here is the adapted recipe that we came up with. (The amounts of the spices is an estimate because I usually just season things to taste).


Chicken Stew with Cheesy Dumplings

Ingredients

• Olive oil

• 4 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces

• 3 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 onion, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth

• 1 can of water

• 2 tsp basil leaves,

• 2 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• 2 chicken breast with ribs and skin (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

• ½ bag (or 1 can) black beans

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface. Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Take the bay leaf out and discard. Add black beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cheese Dumpling Recipe

* 3 Tbsp Shortening

* 1 1/2cups all-purpose flour

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 3/4 tsp salt

* 3/4 cup milk
Cut Shortening into flour, baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot meat of vegetables in boiling stew (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered 10 min. Cover and cook about 10 min longer. Makes 8 - 10 dumplings.

Cheese Dumplings: Add 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheese (about 1 oz) to the dry ingredients.

This dumpling recipe is a versatile recipe that you can add many different spices or things too. We choose to make cheese dumplings, which were delicious! Yet, in my business and tiredness I forgot the shortening when I was mixing the dumplings and I didn’t remember that I hadn’t put it in until half of the dumplings had already been dropped into the stew. As my mom positively pointed out, we had fat free dumplings now! At this point we were a little concerned how they were going to turn out, and if they would rise and get fluffy, yet they did and they were delicious. My mom had a hard time not eating them all!

Critique and assessment: The stew was delicious as well as the dumplings. The dumplings added a yummy mix of fluffiness and flavor when it soaked up the broth of the stew. Yummy! We had fun making this delicious meal and would definitely make it again!