This is one of those recipes, you know the ones… the ones that will fit into your monthly assortment of meals. It will soon be in rotation with taco Tuesday and meatless Monday.
There’s 30ish days in each month.
This needs to be on one all of those days.
It’s that good.
Think of it as chicken and dumplings that went on vacation in Mexico, and came back with a gorgeous tan and spicy accent.
Chunks of chicken, simmered in a creamy and spicy tomatillo sauce, with cornmeal dumplings studded with cilantro and jalapeno. Oh yes…..
I originally found this recipe in an issue of Redbook magazine my mom had given me, I had torn it out and placed it in a sheet protector under “make one day”. That day finally came and, I added a few of my touches to make it my own. Mexican food needs cumin, fresh lime and cilantro and (of course), jalapenos.
Speaking of jalapenos… I did not use fresh in this recipe. I actually had to use jarred, pickled. Why? I had no fresh, I had none in the garden and… I was too lazy to visit the store.
I’m sure you can relate.
The verdict? It was still just right. I felt like Goldilocks after she went on her crime spree and found the perfect bowl of porridge. What kind of story was that, anyway? Thinking about it as a homeowner now, I’m pretty sure there would be some authorities showing up if some chick came into my house and ate my family’s food, and crashed out in our beds.
Where were Goldilocks’s parents?
Who drops a blonde little girl off in the woods?
What is the lesson in that story?
Oh.
Don’t break into houses, even if the food is good and the beds are comfy. Bears might live there.
Hmmm… maybe it’s an odd dating analogy? Even if he takes you to nice restaurants and fabulous hotels… if he’s a bear, he’ll always be a bear.
Not really.
Hopefully Goldilocks won’t break into your house and steal this food,
you gotta watch out for that girl….
Mexican chicken and dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro* my addition
- 2 TBS diced pickled jalapenos* my addition
- 1 cup milk
- 1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
- 7 tbs
- 1 jar green salsa 16oz
- 1 tsp cumin
- 5 oz evaporated milk
- 5 cups cooked chunk chicken meat
- Garnish:
- lime slices chopped cilantro, shredded cheddar and sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Adjust rack to lower middle position
- Mix the cornmeal, 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking powder and salt, stir in the cilantro and jalapenos
- Heat milk along with 3 TBS butter until steamy , and add to the cornmeal mixture.
- Stir to make a smooth firm dough and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a large 5-6 qt dutch oven over medium heat.
- Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup flour to form a paste
- Add the broth, cumin, salsa and evaporated milk
- Bring to a boil, add the chicken reduce to a simmer and cook intil sauce is thickened.
- Shape dough into golf ball size and drop into simmering liquid
- Cover and transfer to the oven 15 minutes
- Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving
- Garnish with fresh lime slices, sour cream, chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese
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