Make this healthier chicken and dumplings recipe!

Executive Chef Debbie Richter is working to make the dining experience more enjoyable for patients at Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services. Try her tasty, healthier version of chicken and dumplings on a cool fall day.

Healthier Chicken and Dumplings
Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2″ cubes
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Canola oil
2 cups diced carrots — 1/2″ cubes
2 cups celery — 1/2″ cubes
1 large onion — cut 1″ thick
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 quart low sodium chicken broth — cold; plus 1 reserved additional quart stock
2 cups frozen peas
1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup cold water
2 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

1. Place a small pot of water on the stove, bring to a boil, add the carrots. Bring the water back to a boil, lower the heat. Cook the carrots for 5-10 minutes, or until they are slightly tender. Set the carrots aside.
2. While the carrots are cooking, place the oil in a large pot and warm slightly. Add the chicken to the oil, and lightly brown. The chicken does not have to be cooked completely, because you will continue to cook it in the sauce
3. Add the 2/3 cup of flour to the pot with the oil and the chicken. Stir the flour onto the chicken to coat the chicken completely.
4. Add the cold low sodium chicken broth. Stir the broth to mix in with the chicken; add the vegetables, including the cooked carrots, to the pot with the chicken, and add the broth. Stir to completely mix all of the ingredients together. Lower the heat on the pot with the chicken, add all of the seasoning, and continue to cook slowly for about 45 minutes. Add more broth if the soup cooks down.

While the chicken mixture is cooking, make the dumplings:

1. To make the dumplings, place the 2 cups flour in a small bowl with the baking powder; mix the oil and the egg in a cup and add to the flour mixture; Stir lightly.
2. Slowly add the water to the flour/oil/egg mixture. Add the water slowly just to blend, making sure not to overmix. You may need a little less water, and you may need just a little more. Adjust the water to make a gooey dough.
3. Place one quart of water in a pot on the stove, and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, on a floured board, roll the dumpling dough into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2 inch squares. Drop the dough squares into the boiling water, and bring to a boil. Cook the dumplings for 10 minutes, or until they start to float to the top of the water. Remove the floating dumplings from the water, and add them to the chicken stew mixture. 
4. On a medium heat, cook EVERYTHING together for an additional 30 minutes. The dumplings will become light and fluffy, and the healthier stew will become lightly thickened. Add fresh thyme for a final touch, if available; if you don’t have fresh thyme, use dry leaves.

Per serving: 324 calories; 11g fat (31.4% calories from fat); 27g protein; 28g carbohydrates; 3g dietary fiber; 75mg cholesterol; 437mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 grain(starch); 3 lean meat; 1/2 vegetable; 2 fat; 0 other carbohydrates.