Chicken and Baby Dumplings

Chicken and Baby Dumplings

What are dumplings anyway? You could call them poor man's potatoes. Many times dumplings are made like pastry dough, with fat, but when you taste these, I guarantee you won't miss the fat at all. They are light, easy to make and flavorful.
Serves 4

4 chicken breast halves, poached
1-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 cups Perfect Chicken Stock
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced leeks, white part only
1-1/2 cups quartered mushrooms
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup non-fat milk

Remove skin and bones from poached chicken. Shred chicken into pieces. In small screw top jar, mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup of the strained, defatted stock. Shake and combine. Set aside. Reheat remaining 2 1/2 cups stock and add onion, carrots, leeks and mushrooms. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour/stock mixture. Bring to boil and simmer, stirring until mixture thickens. Keep warm. In medium bowl combine remaining 1 cup flour with baking powder, parsley, poultry seasoning and milk, stirring just enough to moisten ingredients. Return chicken to stock and heat through gently. Using a wet teaspoon, take up the dumping, mixture and drop by small spoonfuls into boiling broth; reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes, with out lifting lid.

DEAL-A-MEAL cards used:
2 Bread, 3 Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1 Joker/Extra
384 Calories

NOTE: If you let liquid boil too fiercly once chicken has been added, chicken will toughen.

DEAL-A-MEAL COOKING HINT: To thicken a liquid, as we've done here, the flour must be mixed with could liquid or it will be lumpy. The easiest way to accomplish this is as described in this recipe, by shaking the flour and liquid in a screw top container. Also don't forget portion patrol. When you use flour, 2-1/2 tablespoons=1 bread.

"DEAL-A-MEAL Golden Edition Cookbook, pg. 130/131"