Yosemite Chicken Stew With Cornmeal Dumplings (Low Fat) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the stew
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1 pinch ground cloves
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
For the cornmeal dumplings
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Place chicken, onion, carrot, celery, salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaf, and water in a large saucepan. Heat to boiling; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 1/2 hour or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain broth.
Skim fat from broth; measure and, if necessary, add water to make 3 cups liquid.
Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled broth.
Pour into saucepan with remaining broth; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
Add basil, peas, and reserved vegetables to sauce; stir to combine.
Add chicken and heat slowly to boiling while preparing cornmeal dumplings.
For the dumplings:
Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Mix together milk and oil. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients; stir just enough to moisten flour and evenly distribute liquid. Dough will be soft.
Drop by full tablespoons on top of braised meat or stew. Cover tightly; heat to boiling. Reduce heat (do not lift cover) to simmering and steam about 20 minutes.