Chicken and Dumplings.... Light

Well it's been awhile since I last posted here, but that doesn't mean I haven't maintained my interest in southern cooking, in Appalachian cooking.  I still can be found at least once or more a month cooking up a big pot of 'soup beans,' or frying some slices of country ham in the iron skillet.

One southern food I am not completely enamored of is the classic favorite "Chicken and Dumplings." I don't care that much for stewed chicken and it just never has held much appeal. But nothing says poor* Appalachian food more than a pot of dumplings simmering in broth, so I decided to give it a try tonight.

But how to make it at least somewhat healthy?    Well, I decided to use two chicken breasts and simmer them for about 50 minutes in a pot of low-sodium chicken broth.  I used 1 32 oz box of the broth and about two parts water.  They could honestly cook even longer, maybe even an hour and a half or more to make them more tender.  The last twenty minutes of cooking time, I added the dumplings by dropping spoonfuls of very moist biscuit dough (made out of low-fat biscuit mix and skim milk) into the broth.  I let it simmer 10 minutes without the lid and then replaced the lid for the final ten minutes of cooking time.

I will tell you that most of my dumplings turned to gravy, but a few survived and they were plump and delicious.  If I were doing this again I would add more dumplings to my pot, since some of them turned to gravy with the broth.  I don't really know how many calories this whole entree has but with skim milk, low fat biscuit mix and boneless chicken breasts at play, I think it was pretty low-cal.

For the southern food purists, this meal would not satisfy. No dark meat chicken, no buttery dumplings.  But for us tonight, it was just the ticket.  I found myself oddly satisfied by a dish I don't normally like that much. And served alongside cornbread and lima beans and fresh from the garden tomatoes and cucumbers.... well, that's a summer supper to remember!

*This article from the blog Serious Eats refutes the idea that chicken and dumplings is poor southern food.  It is a fascinating read.  I highly recommend it.