Yosemite Chicken Stew and Dumplings

• For the stew:

  1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
  ½ C coarsely chopped onion
  1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
  ¼ tsp salt
  Ground black pepper, to taste
  1 pinch ground cloves
  1 bay leaf
  3 C water
  1 tsp cornstarch
  1 tsp dried basil
  1 package (10 oz) frozen peas
  

• For the dumplings:

  1 C yellow cornmeal
  ¾ C sifted all-purpose flour
  2 tsp baking powder
  ½ tsp salt
  1 C low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free milk
  1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  

Directions

• 1

  To prepare the stew: Place chicken, onion, carrot, celery, salt, black pepper, cloves, bay leaf, and water in a large pot. Heat to boiling; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender.

• 2

  Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Set aside.

• 3

  Strain broth and skim fat; measure and, if necessary, add water to make 3 cups liquid. Set aside 1 cup (see next step), and return the rest of the broth to the pot.

• 4

  Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled broth by shaking vigorously in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour the mixture into the pot.

• 5

  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.

• 6

  Add the basil, peas, and reserved vegetables to the pot; stir to combine. Add chicken, and heat slowly to boiling while preparing cornmeal dumplings.

• 7

  To prepare the dumplings: Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk and oil.

• 8

  Add milk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients; stir just enough to moisten the flour and evenly distribute the liquid. Dough will be soft.

• 9

  Drop by full tablespoons on top of the stew. Cover tightly; heat to boiling. Reduce heat (do not lift cover) to simmering, and steam for about 20 minutes.