Chicken Stew with Drop Dumplings - 9 PointsPlus!

This makes 8 servings and it's only 9 PointsPlus!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (no need to cook, they will cook right in the stew)
1 small onion, diced
2 cups of celery, diced
8 ounces of baby carrots, sliced
4 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups of Swanson Chicken Broth
1/4 cup of fat free skim milk
1 teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of frozen peas (unfortunately I was out and had to use canned but the frozen would be much better)
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley


For the dumplings:
2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup of fat free skim milk
3 tablespoon of butter

Heat the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour taste. Whisk in the chicken broth and 1/4 cup of skim milk. Add the thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Right before you are ready to add the dumplings, Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Heat the skim milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Add both the butter and the milk to the flour and mix well until smooth.

Return the stew to a simmer. dd the peas and parsley. Drop golf-ball sized dumplings onto the hot stew. It will make about 18 dumplings. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the dumplings have doubled in size, about 15 minutes.