I’ve been fighting a cold this week and, consequently, have filled our menu with comforting, healthy favorites. I found this recipe for chicken and dumplings in Cooking Light magazine many years ago, and it’s a happy day when cool weather rolls around and I remember to make it each fall!
Despite the simmered-all-day taste, it comes together in around 45 minutes, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. As long as I remember to thaw some chicken breasts, that is!
This photo doesn’t do it justice…we’d already sat down to dinner when I remembered to photograph it, and the sun had set. It’s delicious and a sure family-pleaser!
Quick and Healthy Chicken and Dumplings
(adapted from Cooking Light)
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut in 1” cubes
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups carrots, cut in ½” slices
- 32 oz. chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Dumplings:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter, melted
1. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in large Dutch oven and sauté chicken and onion for ten minutes. Add celery and cook another two minutes. Add flour and, stirring, cook one minute.
2. Add carrots and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer ten minutes.
3. Stir together dumpling ingredients and drop by large spoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, until dumplings are cooked through.
Click here for the printable recipe
And here’s what we ate this week!
- Monday: Quick and Healthy Chicken and Dumplings with Baked Apples
- Tuesday: Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, and Provolone Paninis with Raw Veggies and Dip
- Wednesday: Ridiculously Easy Vegetable Chili with Corn Muffins
- Thursday: Meatloaf Patties and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Sauteed Green Beans
- Friday: Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Grilled Cheese
On Thursday, I made our favorite meatloaf recipe and just made patties from it, which I cooked in a skillet on the stovetop. The mashed potatoes were from Costco, and the gravy from a mix (don’t tell my mom!). For the green beans, I sauteed a sliced onion until soft in a tablespoon of olive oil, then added frozen green beans and about a quarter cup of chicken broth. I covered the skillet and let them cook for about ten minutes, until the beans were tender. And I discovered that I need to double my meatloaf recipe from now on!
