Chicken Stew With Cornmeal Dumplings

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 1/2-4 lbs chicken, cut up and skin removed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced about 1 inch thick
• 6 small onions, peeled and halved
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bunch kale, stems trimmed,leaves coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup milk

Recipe

• 1 in a wide, deep pot, combine the chicken, stock and bay leaf- bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
• 2 skim the broth of any fat.
• 3 stir in the celery, carrots, onion and thyme.
• 4 contine to simmer over medium heat, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes).
• 5 stir in the kale.
• 6 season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 7 dumplings: mix the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly (a food processor makes this really easy).
• 8 add the milk and mix just until combined.
• 9 drop tablespoons of the dumpling batter in clumps over the top of the stew.
• 10 discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and serve.