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Creamy Chicken Stew with Sage & Chive Dumplings is a comforting, dairy-free, one-pot meal. This is the fall & winter meal you and your family will crave. Tender chicken with carrots, celery, butternut squash, fresh rosemary and sage for an all-day cooked taste that is ready in about 45 minutes.

Colorful vegetables in a bowl of Creamy Chicken Stew with Sage and Chive Dumplings

If you look up comfort food in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’ll find a picture of this stew. But in all seriousness, I did make this stew twice in 1 week because we craved it so much.

Creamy chicken stew with sage and chive dumplings in a bowl with a spoon

In keeping with the theme of the season, I added sage and chives to the dumplings for extra flavor and they are so good.

Everyone has their own way of making dumplings. This is my recipe from my British dish, Minced Beef and Dumplings that uses an animal fat called suet. The U.S substitute for this is shortening or unsalted butter.

A dumpling on a spoon from Creamy Chicken Stew with Sage and Chive Dumplings

This dumpling recipe always turn out  soft and fluffy with a little crisp on the top. I don’t like soggy dumplings, so I broil (grill if you’re in the U.K) them so they get a little brown on the top. This is an optional step.

Bone-in or boneless chicken breast for stew?

I personally prefer bone-in because the bones add more chicken flavor. They do take longer to cook and it’s more laborious to separate the meat from the bones, but the preference ultimately lies with the cook.

I wrote earlier about the ‘all-day’ cooked taste. This is achieved by using fresh herbs and my secret ingredient, ground fennel.

Good chicken stock is also key. Some I have tried taste nothing like they should and can dramatically change the flavor of the dish. Low sodium or unsalted is what I use so I can control the salt content.

A spoonful of creamy chicken stew with sage and chive dumplings

Gluten-free option

All-purpose flour is used to chicken the gravy. Gluten-free flour would also work, as well as corn starch.

Yield: 4 servings

Creamy Chicken Stew with Sage & Chive Dumplings

A bowl of creamy chicken stew with a sage and chive dumpling

A comforting, dairy-free and gluten free chicken and vegetable stew with sage and chive dumplings.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups (230 grams) frozen pearl onions
  • 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) celery, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 4 cups (520 grams) about 6 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
  • 3 cups (440 grams) butternut squash (delicata and kombucha are also good)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (this will depend on how salty your stock is, add more if needed)
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups unsalted or low sodium chicken stock
  • For the dumplings:
  • 1 cup (148 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 5 tablespoons shortening (substitute suet or unsalted butter)
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle the chicken evenly on both sides with, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and dried sage. Rub with your hands to coat well.
  2. Heat the oil and butter in a soup pan over medium heat. When hot and bubbling, add the chicken. Brown for 5-6 minutes per side. If using bone-in, cook 10-12 minutes per side. Remove from the pan.
  3. To the same pan (add more oil or butter if needed) add the onions, celery, carrots, squash, garlic, rosemary, sage, ground fennel and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir.
  4. Sprinkle the flour evenly in the pan and stir to mix with the vegetables.
  5. Slowly pour in the chicken stock while stirring. Add the chicken back to the pan. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
  6. While the stew simmers make the dumplings. To a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sage, chives and shortening. Use your fingers to rub the shortening into the flour until it resembles crumbs. Slowly add water and mix until a soft dough forms, not too sticky or wet.
  7. Remove the chicken breasts from the stew and cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Add back to the stew. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.
  8. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the dumpling dough and place on top of the stew. Repeat with the rest of the dough making 8 dumplings. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked, about 15 minutes. If you like the dumplings a little browned and crispy on the top, put the pan under the broiler (grill if you’re in the U.K) for a couple of minutes.
  9. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 652Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 126mgSodium 1735mgCarbohydrates 45gProtein 47g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Chicken

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