About Chicken With Cornmeal Dumplings
It’s a one pan meal. You’ll love this recipe because it’s made in one pan! Making your whole dinner in one pan equals easy cleanup. We all love that, right? How long it takes: 1 hour, 20 minutes Equipment you’ll need: large pan or Dutch oven, medium size mixing bowl Servings: 6 Dumplings are comfort food. Chicken ‘n dumplings is such a homey dish. I just love dumplings! They’re sort of a mix between biscuits and noodles, wouldn’t you say? I often make chicken and dumplings in my Instant Pot. Aside from the fact that it’s cooked in a pressure cooker, that recipe with chicken, carrots and celery, and white flour dumplings, is a bit more traditional than this one. I also love chicken stew with cornmeal biscuits or skillet chicken pot pie topped with flaky canned biscuits. This is a unique take on a traditional recipe. This chicken and dumpling recipe is a bit different, with tomatoes, peppers, and cornmeal dumplings, and it’s oh, so good! It reminds me a bit of chicken cacciatore which is rich and tomato-y and is often served with polenta. I hope you love this hearty recipe as much as we do. It’s delicious and perfect for a cold winter’s night.
How To Make The Chicken Stew
Brown cut-up boneless chicken. I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs but chicken breasts are fine, too. Cut the chicken into one inch pieces and brown them in a large Dutch oven. Remove them from the pan as they brown. They won’t be completely cooked but that’s okay because you’ll be simmering them later. Sauté vegetables. Add carrots, celery, chopped scallions, and green bell pepper to the pan and sauté until the vegetables are softening. Add chopped thyme and a fourth cup of flour, cooking and stirring for a minute. The flour will work as a thickening agent for the stew. Add broth and tomatoes. Pour in chicken broth and a big can of whole tomatoes. Squish them with your hands first to break them up a little. You can use diced tomatoes, if you prefer. Don’t forget to add the chicken back to the pot, too. Simmer the stew for about a half hour or until the vegetables are tender. If the stew simmers longer than that, don’t sweat it. It will be perfectly fine. Check the seasoning and add a splash of red wine vinegar. Don’t skip the vinegar–it adds so much flavor to the stew. I find myself adding red wine vinegar to many stews and soups. That little bit of acid just rounds out the flavor.
How to Make the Dumplings
Mix dry ingredients and butter. While the stew simmers, mix up the dumplings. Add flour, cornmeal, finely chopped herbs, baking powder, a hint of sugar and salt, and butter to a bowl. Blend the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter. It should resemble coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk. Pour in buttermilk, just enough to moisten the dry ingredients, and mix everything together. Cook the dumplings in the stew. When the stew is ready, drop the batter into the stew by tablespoons. Cover the pot and let the dumplings steam/cook for about twenty minutes. Serve. Gather the crowd, supper’s ready! You won’t really need to have a side dish or salad with this meal because you’re serving chicken, vegetables, and bread, all from one pan. Fresh fruit makes a great (and healthy) dessert.
Make it your own
Use dark meat or white meat. Choose whichever type of chicken your family likes best: boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts. Vegetables: Add corn, spinach, red bell pepper, zucchini, or another vegetable of your choice. Add beer. Use a light beer, such as pilsner, instead of chicken broth. Make whole grain dumplings. Replace a third cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to make multi-grain dumplings.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Head Start: Prep and chop the vegetables and store in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance. The chicken can be prepped as well. Freeze: If you’re making extra and planning on freezing it for a meal in the future, it’s best to make it without the dumplings and add them later. The chicken stew will keep for up to one month in the freezer. To serve, thaw the chicken stew in the fridge overnight. Simmer it in a pan on the stove, make the dumplings as directed, and cook them in the hot stew.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to one month.
Reheat: Simmer gently on the stove, covered, until heated through.
