Healthy Chicken and Dumplings

Name: Healthy Chicken and Dumplings
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 ½ to 3 pounds bone-in split chicken breasts; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 ½ teaspoons canola oil; 4 carrots; 2 onions; 2 talks celery; ¼ cup white wine; 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth; ¼ teaspoon dried thyme; ½ cup frozen peas; ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ cup buttermilk; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 large egg white

User Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings
6 servings
Calories
502 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings

Megan Mendez

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This healthy version of Chicken and Dumplings is just as delicious as the full-fat version. A hearty stew of shredded chicken in flavorful broth with carrots, celery, onions and peas is topped with light and fluffy buttermilk dumplings.

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Ingredients

Servings

Stew:

2 ½ to 3 pounds bone-in split chicken breasts trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons canola oil
4 carrots peeled and sliced
2 onions chopped
2 talks celery chopped
¼ cup white wine
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Dumplings:

2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk chilled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and hot
1 large egg white

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Instructions

For the stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the chicken well on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to plate and remove the skin.
To the fat left in the pot, add the carrots, onions, celery, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in white wine, scraping up any browned bits.
Add broth, thyme, and chicken along with any accumulated juices. Bring to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160°F, about 20 to 25 minutes. If your chicken breasts are different sizes, check and remove the smaller ones first as they finish cooking and continue to cook the larger ones as needed.
Remove pot from the heat and transfer the chicken to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into large pieces, discarding the bones. As you shred each chicken breast, you can add the meat directly to the pot. This will help keep it from drying out as it sits in the open air.
For the dumplings: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the chilled buttermilk and melted butter together until the butter forms small clumps, then whisk in the egg white. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated. If it seems really wet, sprinkle in a little more flour. If it seems dry, add a splash of buttermilk. It should be a fairly firm dough that you can easily scoop and maintain its shape.
To finish: Return the stew to a simmer (you should have already added the chicken back to it). Stir in the peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a greased tablespoon measure, scoop and drop dumplings on top of stew slightly spacing them apart. Wrap the lid of your Dutch oven with a clean kitchen towel (keeping the towel away from heat source) and cover the pot (this will prevent steam droplets from dripping onto the dumplings and making them soggy). Cook over low heat until the dumplings have doubled in size, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

For serving, I suggest gently removing dumplings from Dutch oven and then ladling stew into individual dishes, then topping with dumplings again. It’s awkward trying to evenly distribute the stew without moving at least some of the dumplings out of the way.
To store leftover chicken and dumplings, I recommend carefully removing the dumplings from the top of the stew and storing them separately in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the stew in its own airtight container in the fridge. Both will keep for several days.
To reheat, either heat the stew on the stovetop in a small pot or in individual bowls in the microwave, stirring occasionally. When the stew is mostly heated through, add the dumplings to the top, cover the pot or bowl with a lid and continue heating briefly until the dumplings are soft and warm.
Adapted from Comfort Food Makeovers

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 502kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 49g (16%) Protein 56g (112%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 134mg (45%) Sodium 682mg (28%) Potassium 590mg (17%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 6g (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 502 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	502kcal	25%
Carbohydrates	49g	16%
Protein	56g	112%
Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	9g	45%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	2g	10%
Cholesterol	134mg	45%
Sodium	682mg	28%
Potassium	590mg	13%
Fiber	5g	20%
Sugar	6g	12%