Aztec Chicken Stew with Chili Masa Dumplings

Prep:

15 minutes

Cook:

4 hours, 30 minutes

Serves:

6-8

Here’s a simple, savory and versatile stew with the healthy flavors of native American grains and vegetables. I used a home-made chicken stock leftover from my last roast carcass, but you can use your favorite canned stock or weak bullion. Use white meat chicken and a low or no-fat stock to make this stew even healthier. Make your version meatless by eliminating the chicken and using vegetable stock. To give your stew a spicy kick, add a chopped jalapeno to your pepper and onion mix. And if you’re doing an all-day cook, you can use dried beans that have been soaking overnight in salt water for extra flavor and they won’t turn mushy. Be sure you are using masa corn flour and not cornmeal in your dumpling mix! But if you can't find masa, you can use a mix of half cornmeal, half regular baking flour.

Ingredients

2 cups raw chicken, white or dark, cubed
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped freshed cilantro
1 can red beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 small can green chilies
2 cups masa corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 quart chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. 
   Reserve 1/8 cup of the green chilies and 1-1/2 cup of the chicken stock for dumpling mix.
2. 
   Mix the remaining stock and chilies along with the beans, corn, chopped vegetables, cilantro and chicken into a crock pot. Add salt if needed and pepper to taste. Cook on high for one hour, then on low 2-3 hours until chicken is of desired tenderness. For an all-day cook, set the crock pot on low until finishing.
3. 30 minutes before serving, turn crock pot up to high. If you think your crockpot is too full to accommodate the dumplings, transfer to large stock pot and bring to a low boil.
4. 
   Make dumplings by mixing together the masa, the cup of reserved broth, the green chilies, and butter. If necessary, slowly add more water until the mixture turns into a soft, cohesive dough.
5. 
   Use tablespoons to form masa mixture into one-inch balls and drop into simmering stew. Stir occasionally to gently push dumplings into the stew.
6. 
   Let cook for 10-15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Stir gently before serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro, shredded cheese or sour cream.