Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings

Our revision of creamy chicken and dumplings uses whole-wheat flour for the dumplings and adds lots of vegetables to the filling. The delicious, satisfying results are packed with beneficial nutrients and dietary fiber, and because we don't use canned soup for the sauce, sodium levels are drastically reduced. To go even lighter, try the recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

6 servings (1 1/3 cups stew & 3 dumplings each)

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings

1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Dumplings

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)

Preparation

Toss chicken with 2/3 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reserving the remaining flour, add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Stir in carrots, celery, onion, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in broth, water, peas and the reserved chicken. Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, stir whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk.
Drop the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, over the simmering chicken stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Tips & Notes

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Nutrition

Per serving: 463 calories; 15 g fat ( 3 g sat , 7 g mono ); 91 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 34 g protein; 6 g fiber; 629 mg sodium; 412 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Selenium (36% dv), Iron (20% dv), Vitamin C (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat