December 28- Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

Nothing calls for classic comfort food like cold winter nights. I saw this recipe for Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings on Pinterest and it looked delicious. 

Tonight I made the recipe and it was a little disappointed. I'm not sure if I missed something, or if it had to do with the fact that I used boneless breasts and reduced sodium broth, but it seemed to be lacking flavor. I did use more chicken than suggested, but I tried to counteract by multiplying the other ingredients by 1 1/2. 

The chicken and the veggies were tender, and the dumplings were good, but the flavoring seemed a little off. I added salt to my bowl and it made it better. Not awesome, but not bad either.

 (If anyone else has made this, let me know how yours turns out!)

Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 chicken thighs, skinned (I used boneless breasts)

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Dumplings

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

dash of salt

1 egg while

1 tbsp fat-free milk

1 tbsp canola oil

1. In a 1 1/2- or 2-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, celery, corn, onion, garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with chicken. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If no heat setting is available, cook for 5 to 5 1/2 hours.

3. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting (or if no heat setting is available, continue cooking). Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken off bones; discard bones. Chop chicken; return to mixture in cooker. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour until smooth. Stir into mixture in cooker.

4. Using two spoons, drop Cornmeal Dumplings dough into four mounds on top of hot chicken mixture. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.) If desired, sprinkle each serving with coarse pepper.