Chicken Salsa Verde with Cornmeal-Cilantro Dumplings

This was a wonderful Southwestern spin on the classic chicken 'n dumplings. And it is the perfect kind of dinner to serve when it's cold and dreary outside. The recipe came together quickly, especially if you have your chicken, green onions and cilantro chopped ahead of time. While it baked, I was able to get the kitchen cleaned too. Nothing is more relaxing than sitting down to a hearty and delicious dinner with a glass of white wine and a clean kitchen to boot!

A quick word of warning: Depending on what brand of salsa you buy and it's level of spiciness, you may need/want to add more or less salsa to the chicken mixture. I used half of a jar of green salsa that was labeled 'medium heat' and it was still pretty spicy. Andrew and I liked it that way, but it was too spicy for Finley to eat.

Chicken Salsa Verde with Cornmeal-Cilantro Dumplings

as seen on Savory Sweet Life, recipe adapted from Pam Anderson's Perfect One-Dish Dinners

for the chicken

4 tablespoon salted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 (14.5-oz) can chicken broth

1/2 (15-oz) jar of salsa verge (about 1 cup)

1 (5-oz) can evaporated milk

1 large rotisserie chicken, meat picked off and left in large chunks

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

for the dumplings

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1/3 cup Monterey pepper jack cheese, shredded

For the chicken, heat butter over medium-heat in a large, deep oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven. Whisk in flour to make a paste. Mix broth, salsa verde and evaporated milk in a bowl. Add flour mixture to paste all at once. Whisk, vigorously at first, until mixture simmers and thickens to sauce consistency. Stir in chicken and corn and heat through. Lower heat to low and cover to keep warm. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the dumplings, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until steamy. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, scallions, cilantro and cheese in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in milk mixture to form a firm, sticky dough. With your fingers, pinch off large ping-pong ball sized pieces of dough and drop onto chicken mixture. Return chicken to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and transfer pan to oven and bake until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.