Foodie Fridays: Autumn Chicken Stew

When I was searching the internet for cozy autumn images last week, I came across the picture and recipe for a luscious-looking Autumn Chicken Stew.  I posted the image (see bottom of page), and this week I decided to try the recipe.  The stew tastes every bit as delicious as it looks!  The only change I made was to eliminate the Bisquick, making dumplings from scratch and dredging the chicken in lightly seasoned flour.  I try to limit salt in recipes, so feel free to add more to suit your own taste.  The pumpkin pie spice is a genius idea, as it adds a distinctively fall flavor to the stew -- I may add even more next time.  This recipe is sure to become a regular in my cool-weather repertoire!

Autumn Chicken Stew

1/4 C. flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 T. oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 C.)
2-3 C. cubed winter squash (I used butternut)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (about 14 oz.) diced tomatoes (I used unsalted)
1 3/4 C. chicken stock or broth (I used unsalted)
Dumplings (see below)

Season the flour with salt and pepper.  Coat the chicken with the flour mixture.  In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer pink.

Stir in the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to become fragrant and soften.  Add the squash, pumpkin pie spice, salt, potatoes, tomatoes, and broth.  Heat to boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the dumpling ingredients until a soft dough forms (see below).

Drop the dumpling dough by spoonfuls onto the stew mixture.  Spoon a little of the stew liquid over the dumplings.  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Use a spoon to separate the dumplings a little.  Cover and simmer the stew for 10 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender and the dumplings are cooked. Sprinkle each serving with parsley or additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.  Serves 6.

Dumplings: Combine 1 1/2 C. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cut in 3 T. butter.  Stir in 3/4 C. milk just until dry ingredients are moistened (do not over mix).

Notes: Omit or adjust the 1/2 tsp. salt if you use salted tomatoes and/or broth.  For convenience, you could follow the original recipe and just use Bisquick and milk to make the dumpling batter (combine 1 1/2 C. Bisquick with 1/2 C. milk just until blended).

From Betty Crocker