Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

I made this back in April when it wasn't quite 90 degrees out yet, but I would still recommend it if you're looking for an easy one-pot meal - even in the summer! Plus, it calls for beer which, really, you can't go wrong with. I modified the original recipe by adding some broccoli for a bit more veggie-ness.

Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

Adapted from Everyday Food

For the stew:

1.5 tbsp butter

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken pieces (breasts and/or thighs)

1/2 bunch scallions, chopped

1 bell pepper (I used red), diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 head broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets

1 tsp dried thyme (or ~1.5 tbsp fresh)

1/4 cup flour

2 bottles pilsner

1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

For the dumplings:

2/3 cup flour

1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter, chopped small

1/2 cup buttermilk (I made my own with milk and lemon juice)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt about half the butter over medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; add to pot and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a medium bowl, keeping the juices in the pot. Add the rest of the butter to the pot, then add the scallions, bell pepper, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes until celery is soft. Add thyme and flour and season again with salt and pepper (I added some red pepper flakes here too). Cook about 1 minute, then return the chicken to the pot. Whisk in the beer and tomatoes with their juices, breaking them up with a spoon as they cook. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Season to taste with up to 2 tbsp vinegar.

Meanwhile, made the cornmeal dumpling dough. Mix together all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl. With your fingers, mix in the butter until small crumbs form, then stir in the buttermilk.

Add the broccoli to the pot. Reduce heat to a medium simmer and drop dough on top by rounded tablespoons. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Season to taste and serve.