Skinless chicken is the basis of this delicious stew with cornmeal dumplings made with low-fat milk.
For the stew: | |
| 1 lb | skinless, boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1/2 C | onion, coarsely chopped |
| 1 medium | carrot, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 1 stalk | celery, thinly sliced |
| 1/4 tsp | salt |
| to taste | black pepper |
| 1 pinch | ground cloves |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 3 C | water |
| 1 tsp | cornstarch |
| 1 tsp | dried basil |
| 1 package | (10 oz) frozen peas |
For the cornmeal dumplings: | |
| 1 C | yellow cornmeal |
| 3/4 C | sifted all-purpose flour |
| 2 tsp | baking powder |
| 1/2 tsp | salt |
| 1 C | low-fat (1%) milk |
| 1 Tbsp | vegetable oil |
For the stew:
- Place chicken, onion, carrot, celery, salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaf, and water in a large saucepan. Heat to boiling; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 1/2 hour or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain broth.
- Skim fat from broth; measure and, if necessary, add water to make 3 cups liquid.
- Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled broth by shaking vigorously in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Pour into saucepan with remaining broth; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
- Add basil, peas, and reserved vegetables to sauce; stir to combine.
- Add chicken and heat slowly to boiling while preparing cornmeal dumplings.
For the dumplings:
- Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together milk and oil. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients; stir just enough to moisten flour and evenly distribute liquid. Dough will be soft.
- Drop by full tablespoons on top of braised meat or stew. Cover tightly; heat to boiling. Reduce heat (do not lift cover) to simmering and steam about 20 minutes.
Each serving provides:
Calories: 307
Total fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Sodium: 471 mg


