Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

With the economy in the dumps and the weather beginning to cool, this comforting recipe welcomes fall and helps to pinch pennies (it uses the 2 cheapest veggies at the store). And not only that, it is healthy...about 300 calories per serving, 5.2 g fat, 35g carbs, and a healthy 25g protein. For those non-chicken eaters out there, I suppose you can substitute mushrooms (portabella?) for the chicken. This recipe is inspired from Cooking Light, with a few personal touches...the original recipe serves 2, but I tweaked it to serve 2 for dinner with seconds for the hubby, with a small amount of leftovers for 1 lunch...so that is the serving yield for this recipe.

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings
cooking spray
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (this amount is not exact, if you want chicken, use more)
1/4 cup vermouth or white wine
1 cup diagonally cut celery (1/4in.)
1 cup diagonally cut celery (1/4 in.)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 parsley sprigs
3 rosemary sprigs
3 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup non-fat milk

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook until brown on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Spray pan again with cooking spray (or add a bit of oil). Add onions, cook 2 minutes, then add celery and carrots. Saute 5 minutes, until veggies are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add vermouth or wine to deglaze pan. Add parsely sprigs, rosemary, and chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute. Add broth, bring mixture to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 min.
2. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist (do not add milk until you are ready to cook the dumplings). Spoon by heaping teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done.
Discard parsley and rosemary sprigs before serving.
Enjoy!
We enjoyed this meal with a spinach, walnut, and dried cherry salad, and Morning Fog Wente Chardonnay (it was served at our wedding)