Meg Goes Nom Nom

Might Chicken & Dumplings be the homiest dish ever? For me, just the thought of chicken ‘n’ dumplings exudes warmth and fuzzy happy feelings. And I’ve certainly tried my fair share of different versions. Case in point…

• Chicken & Dumplings – A healthy version, which also happens to be my most common Chicken & Dumplings go-to recipe. This dish, made with low-calorie broth and lots of veggies, is great for those watching their waistline!

• Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings – If you love cornbread and cooking with slow cookers, this one’s for you!

• Chicken & Biscuits – A hearty, comforting dish featuring a rich, creamy sauce and topped with buttery biscuits, from the Barefoot Contessa.

The version I have for you today features a Southwestern twist with the spicy inclusion of salsa verde. Following Pam Anderson’s recipe from the cookbook Perfect One Dish Dinners, I prepared:

Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

To prepare the “filling,” I followed the following steps:

An entire 16 ounce jar of salsa verde was used! This certainly does add a moderate spicy heat level, which was something that I enjoyed, but those with sensitive palates might not be a fan. Basically if you love salsa verde (like me, me, me!!), you’ll love this.

I used the all the meat shredded from one rotisserie chicken. You can thank the huz for shredding this bad boy. Well, I guess actually I can thank him. Thanks huz!

Moving on to the best part. The dumplings.

Do this… er wait.. Not yet. Scroll down.

Actually, do this:

Okay good. Same page?

The one change to this recipe that I did make was to substitute dried parsley in place of fresh minced cilantro, since the huz hasn’t yet acquired a taste for the cilantro as much as I have. This worked just fine. Chopped fresh scallions were also added to the dumpling batter.

Try not to eat all the batter. Flippin’ biscuit dough and raw pie crust and cornmeal batter are, like, my favorite guilty pleasures. Don’t get me wrong, I love some good ol’ cookie dough too.

Once all of the batter has been spooned atop the chicken mixture, cover the dish, and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked.

Swoon.

Dumplings in your face.

This version, with all of it’s rich butter and spicy salsa verde, is a great new addition to my queue of Chicken & Dumplings recipes. Find Pam Anderson’s recipe here, or better yet check out her cookbook (someone buy me this cookbook – I want it!).

My rating: 8.2/10