Yosmite Chicken Stew and Dumplings

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
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• 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:

1. 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.
2. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain broth.
3. Skim fat from broth; measure and, if necessary, add water to make 3 cups liquid.
4. Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled broth by shaking vigorously in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
5. Pour into saucepan with remaining broth; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.

6. Add basil, peas, and reserved vegetables to sauce; stir to combine.
7. Add chicken and heat slowly to boiling while preparing cornmeal dumplings.

For the dumplings:

1. Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Yield:6 servings--Serving size: 1-1/4 cup stew with 2 dumplings

Each serving provides:

Calories: 307
Total fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Sodium: 471 mg

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute