Chicken And Dumplings Lighter Fare Recipes

THE BEST CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan., Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until blended. Gradually add stock, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear., For dumplings, in a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside., Remove chicken from stockpot; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Cook, covered, on high until mixture reaches a simmer., Drop dumplings on top of simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Gently stir in cream, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

LIGHTER CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, stir together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips, onion and celery. Sautee until chicken is cooked through, and onions are tender. Transfer the chicken mixture to the soup pot, and mix well. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Season with celery seed and black pepper.
• To Make Dumplings: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of oil. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
• Drop tablespoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into simmering chicken stew. Cover pot tightly, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 12 to 15 minutes - without peeking! Ladle into bowls, and serve hot.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. In 2 batches, brown the chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.
• In the same pot, add the diced carrots, celery and onions. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in the ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in the chicken broth. Stir to combine, then add the browned chicken. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
• For the dumplings: While the chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then add 1 1/2 cups of the half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. Use 2 forks to remove the chicken from the bones. Shred the chicken, then add it back to the pot. Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half and flour, then add it to the pot and stir to combine.
• Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add the minced parsley if using. Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check the seasoning; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

LIGHTENED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE STEW Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook until skin is crisp and well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, 5 to 7 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot.
• 2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, with any accumulated juices, to pot and add chicken wings. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 minutes.
• 3. Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface using wide spoon or ladle. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin from chicken. Using fingers or fork, pull meat from chicken thighs (and wings, if desired) and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return meat to pot.
• 4. FOR THE DUMPLINGS Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.
• 5. Return stew to simmer; stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Using greased tablespoon measure (or #60 portion scoop), scoop level amount of batter and drop over top of stew, spacing about ¼ inch apart (you should have about 24 dumplings). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE AND DUMPLINGS (LIGHTER VERSION)

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup Bisquick, salt, pepper, and paprika in a gallon-size ziplock bag. Add chicken pieces, seal, and shake to coat.
• In a very large, deep skillet or saute pan (one that has a lid), heat about 1/4-inch oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until golden brown, turning at least once. Remove chicken to a paper-towel lined dish.
• Drain fat from skillet. Add soup to skillet and gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups milk until smooth. Replace chicken, cover skillet, and bring just to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer gently over low heat for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
• Blend together 2 cups Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, parsley, and poultry seasoning.
• Remove lid and drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot gravy (try not to overlap spoonfuls of dough).
• Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until top of dumplings looks set (not wet and doughy). Replace lid and cook an additional 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS - LIGHTER FARE

Steps:

• Boil the chicken in 4 cups of water until cooked through. Remove from heat, reserve the broth for the soup. Chop or shred the chicken to your desired preference.
• In large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook until softened.
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• In small sauce pot, combine milk, butter, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately.
• Slowly stir in flour until it batter begins to pull away from sides. Add eggs very slowly, mixing well.
• Add 1/3 spoon sized dumplings to soup. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Remove and discard excess fat from chicken. In 4-quart Dutch oven, place chicken, giblets (except discard liver) and neck. Add celery, carrot, onion, parsley, salt, pepper and water. Cover; heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer about 2 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (at least 165°F).
• Remove chicken and vegetables from Dutch oven. Discard giblets and neck. Skim 1/2 cup fat from broth; reserve. Transfer broth to large bowl; reserve 4 cups (reserve remaining broth for another use).
• In Dutch oven, heat reserved 1/2 cup fat over low heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Bisquick™ mix. Cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in reserved 4 cups broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add chicken and vegetables; reduce heat to low. Heat about 20 minutes or until hot.
• In medium bowl, stir remaining 2 cups Bisquick™ mix and the milk with wire whisk or fork until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot chicken mixture (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.