Operation Dumpling Drop

The recent chilly snap here in my neck of the woods has left me craving all sorts of fall oriented coziness that, for me, can usually be found in fuzzy blankets and warm comfort food.  Normally inspiring me to scour all sorts of new recipes to find something yummy and warm, this year I am also trying to keep everything low(er) cal as well.  Afterall, nothing grows as quickly in the winter as our backsides.  Since, as some of you know, I loathe beef stew (please click here if you need to be reminded just how much I loathe it), last night it just so happened that I was on a mission for chicken and dumplings.  All of that golden broth filled with chunks of chicken and vegetables floating around puffy spoon-dropped buttermilk dumplings was just too tempting to resist. Believe it or not, I managed to locate a low-cal recipe that seemed to fit the bill, and 'Operation Dumpling Drop' went into full effect.  As a result, a trifecta of amazingness happened in my kitchen that I couldn't help but share.  I found a recipe that was OMG good, low-cal, AND easy to make.  To top it off, it does not take all day to make.  This being the case, I couldn't NOT share the recipe here with you.  I hope you enjoy, now I'm off to grab the leftovers!  Nom nom nom.  :)

Chicken and Rosemary Dumplings

Ingredients

• Soup:
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 pound chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I prefer more garlic, so 4 cloves were used in mine)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dumplings:
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (regular salt was swapped out here for Borsari seasoned salt)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• Remaining ingredient:
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove pan from heat. Remove chicken pieces from broth; cool slightly. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Remove chicken from bones. Discard bones; chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set chicken aside.
• Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Add reserved broth mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt; simmer 10 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Keep warm.
• To prepare dumplings, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, rosemary, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine buttermilk and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
• Return chopped chicken to the broth mixture; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Add flour mixture to pan; simmer 3 minutes. Drop the dumpling dough, 1 tablespoon per dumpling, onto chicken mixture to form 12 dumplings. Cover and cook 7 minutes (do not let broth boil). Sprinkle with black pepper.

Lorrie Hulston Corvin, Cooking Light
APRIL 2004

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 366
• Calories from fat: 24%
• Fat: 9.7g
• Saturated fat: 3.8g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.5g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g
• Protein: 32.5g
• Carbohydrate: 35.1g
• Fiber: 2.9g
• Cholesterol: 115mg
• Iron: 3.3mg
• Sodium: 936mg
• Calcium: 169mg