Hello all,

I’ve tried a great recipe today. I found it courtesy of foodnetwork.com in the healthy recipe section.

It is healthy greatly because it calls for chicken breast only rather than dark meat & bones which are traditionally used in classic chicken soup recipes to add richness and flavour. However, this recipe won’t make a weak broth – don’t you worry. The butternut squash and easy homemade dumplings add thickness. The dill and hearty vegetables add depth. This recipe is healthy without compromising on taste or texture. I love recipes that fool you into thinking they are fattening 🙂

Tips & Notes:

The dumplings are easy to prepare and add texture and thickness to your broth. The recipe calls for whole-wheat flour. It is healthier/contains more fibre etc.. However I do note that the result would probably better if you used half white flour and half whole-wheat.

The texture of your dumplings will be between a gnocchi and a soft cracker.  If dumplings ain’t your thing, sub for pasta or barley.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the soup up until the point where you are supposed to add the cooked chicken and peas. When you are ready to serve your soup, warm your soup and prepare your dumplings.  Add the cooked chicken, peas and simmer. Then add dumplings and cook as directed.

Chicken and Dumplings

Total Time: 50 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Yield:4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 20-ounce package peeled and diced butternut squash
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 sprigs dill plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut up
1/4 cup lowfat (1-percent) milk
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and add to the hot oil. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside but is not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the oil in the pan.

Stir in the squash, celery and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, dill sprigs and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a steady simmer. Simmer until a knife easily pierces through the squash, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. With your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk just until a dough forms.

Stir the chicken and peas into the broth and bring to a simmer. Drop the dough into the simmering broth by half-teaspoons, spacing them evenly to make about 16 dumplings. Cover and simmer on medium low for 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Take care not to over-manipulate the dumplings as they are delicate until fully cooked.

Discard the dill sprigs. Top with chopped dill and serve.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Hope you like it!