Chicken and Dumplings with a Mexican Flair

The other day I posted a recipe for a Whole Chicken in a Crockpot.  Today I am sharing a recipe that I adapted from one found in a 2004 edition of Cuisine at Home.  My collection of Cuisine at Home starts in 2003.  They come out bi-monthly and are seasonal for the two months that covers, in this case January/February.  About midway through this month, when my newest edition arrives, I will file all of the Jan/Feb editions and pull out the March/April editions to get ready for St. Pats, Easter and Early Spring.

As you can imagine the issues that I am currently browsing contain lots of recipes for Valentine's Day and lots of soups/stews and hearty winter meals.  This blog is not sponsored by Cuisine at Home.  I receive nothing in return for sharing their info with my readers so often.  I do so only because I love their magazine.  I love the recipes, the format, the fact that it is ad free and the fact that I, in over 13 years, have never been disappointed by a recipe that I have made.  That says a lot.....

I made this up instead of the Fajitas that I had scheduled for Taco Tuesday.  Originally, the crockpot chicken wasn't scheduled to be made until Wednesday but, as it often does, life got in the way and it became our Sunday Supper and the Pot Roast was moved to Tuesday.  This actually turned out to be a blessing because last night, my son, Chuck, phoned.  He was on the way home from the market with a 7lb bird and wanted to know how long to roast it.  He said that the large birds were on sale so he bought that instead of a smaller bird.  I told him I had a great recipe for the leftovers and that I would post it today.

I adapted this recipe quite a bit but the idea and flavors remain the same.  I used leftover chicken instead of boneless, skinless thighs.  I omitted the adobo chile and used a jalapeno instead and added the flavors that would have been used to coat the chicken in the sauce.

I also cooked mine stovetop until adding the dumplings since I didn't have to cook the chicken.  The stew itself is a layer of flavors.  Starting with the seasoned veggies, adding the vegetables and chicken, topping with the tortilla dumplings and then layering on some creamy avocado and cheese before serving.

 The dumplings are what make this dish.  I followed the directions exactly for this part of the recipe.  I learned something new while making these dumplings. Cuisine at Home had you heat the milk and butter before adding it to the dry ingredients for the dumplings stating that the hot milk sets the starch so the dumplings do not fall apart.  I never knew!!!  It works perfectly!

Chicken and Dumplings with a Mexican Flair

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #43

Stew:

1 T. olive oil

1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 c. dry white wine

2 T. flour

4 c. chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices

1/2 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. corn kernels, frozen or canned that has been drained

2-3 c. cooked chicken cut into bite size pieces

Juice of 1/2 lime

Avocado for garnish, if desired

Feta cheese for garnish, if desired

Dumplings:

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. masa harina

1 (4 oz) can green chiles

3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

2 T. sugar

2 1/2 T. baking powder

pinch of salt

dash of white pepper

2/3 c. milk

3 T. butter

Heat olive oil in a heavy dutch oven, over med high heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and jalapeno. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and bay leaf, stir and cook until fragrant, a minute or two.  Add the wine, cook and stir until nearly evaporated. Stir in the flour to coat the vegetables. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring to fully incorporate the flour.  Add the tomatoes, corn and beans. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes.  

While stew simmers, prepare dumplings by combining the flour, masa harina, green chiles, parmesan, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Heat the milk and butter until butter melts. Blend into dry ingredients.  Using a cookie scoop, form the dumplings into golf ball sized pieces.  

Stir in the chicken and lime juice to the stew, then place the dumplings on top.  Cover and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into a dumpling removes cleanly. Garnish with avocado and feta cheese, if desired.  Print Recipe