Tex Mex Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

4 oz. chorizo sausage, 1-2 links
2 1/2 lbs. chicken, I used boneless chicken breasts
2 Cups water
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 medium onion – diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 cup diced celery, 2-3 ribs
1 cup sliced carrots, 3-4 medium-sized
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal

For the Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 beaten egg
milk enough to make up 2/3 cup liquid with the beaten egg
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 1/2 Tablespoons diced jalapeño peppers

Instructions:

Put Chicken stock and water in large pot over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer.

Cook chorizo sausage in dutch oven over medium heat. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.

Place chicken breasts in pan with chicken stock for 20 minutes to poach.

Remove chicken breasts from pan and set aside to cool to touch. Once chicken and sausage have cooled, chop into 1″ pieces.

Bring sausage drippings in pan up to medium heat again and add onions, carrots and celery. Saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add salt, pepper and cumin. Stir well.

Sprinkle all-purpose flour over vegetables and stir to coat. Slowly add chicken stock, stirring until flour is combined. Add remaining chicken stock to pan.

Add in the chopped chicken breast and chorizo sausage. Stir. Add chopped cilantro. Stir again. Keep mixture at low simmer. If stew does not seem thick enough to you, place 2 tablespoons cornmeal into small bowl. Add some of the broth from the stew to the cornmeal until it is a pourable consistency. Add cornmeal mixture back to stew and stir to combine. Continue to simmer the stew and it should thicken after 4 minutes or so.

Make dumplings by sifting together cake flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir in the chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese.

Place egg in measuring cup. Beat egg. Add milk until total liquid measures 2/3 cup. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Stir until just moistened. Add melted butter and stir until just combined. Fold in chopped jalapeño pepper.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto the top of the simmering stew. Leave room between the dumplings for expansion!

Place lid on pot and continue to cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. At 15 minutes, remove lid and check for doneness. Serve warm.

Serves 6.

From leaandjay.wordpress.com