Lunch / Dinner
Mexican-Style Chicken & Dumplings
What do you get when you cross humble chicken and dumplings with popular Latin flavors? A home-style dish with plenty of cosmopolitan flair! Believe it or not, a bowl of tortilla soup inspired this twist on chicken and dumplings. The soup’s good, but this dish blows it out of the water!
Start with chicken thighs rather than breasts. Their higher fat content keeps them moist during cooking, plus they’re very flavorful. Corn and black beans differentiate the stew from traditional versions, and a chipotle chile adds smokiness as well as authentic Latin flavor.
Bring sweet Latin flavor to the dumplings with masa harina — a corn flour used in tamales and tortillas — and add extra flavor (not heat) with mild chiles. When the dumplings are ready to go, add them to the simmering stew. Gentle bubbles give off steam and, in turn, cook the dumplings from the top. Just be careful not to crowd the pot — dumplings need room to expand during cooking
Ingredients
FOR THE STEW, COMBINE:
SWEAT:
DEGLAZE:
ADD:
FOR THE DUMPLINGS, COMBINE:
HEAT:
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° with rack in center position.
For the stew, combine ½ cup flour, 1 tsp. salt, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture; shake off excess.
Brown chicken in two batches on both sides in 1 Tbsp. oil per batch in a Dutch oven or deep ovenproof pot over medium-high heat, 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Sweat onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, and chipotle in remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until softened, 5 minutes.
Deglaze Dutch oven with wine, simmer until nearly evaporated, then stir in the remaining flour mixture. Gradually stir in broth and tomatoes; cover, transfer to the oven, and cook 20 minutes.
Add chicken, beans, corn, oregano, and lime juice to Dutch oven. Bring stew to a simmer over medium heat on the stove top.
For the dumplings, combine ¾ cup flour, masa harina, green chiles, Parmesan, baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, and cayenne.
Heat milk and butter until butter melts; blend into dry ingredients. Shape dough into 2 Tbsp. balls (#30 scoop). Place dumplings on top of stew. Cover Dutch oven and return stew to the oven; cook until a toothpick inserted into the center of dumpling comes out clean, about 20 minutes more.
A little chipotle goes a long way — they’re spicy. You can freeze any leftover chiles in the can to use later.
Use the spiced flour leftover from dredging the chicken to coat the vegetables and thicken the stew.
For the best flavor, include masa harina in the dumplings. If it isn’t available, use all regular flour.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 381
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 1107mg 46%
Carbs 35g 11%
Fiber 4g 16%
Protein 25g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.