Name: Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil; 2 whole, bone-in chicken breasts*; 2 whole, bone-in chicken legs; 1 large onion, chopped into ½ inch pieces; 3 medium carrots, chopped into ½ inch pieces; 2 stalks celery, chopped into ½ inch pieces; 1 clove garlic, minced; ¼ cup all purpose flour (optional)*; 6 cups chicken stock (warmed or room temperature); 2 dried or fresh bay leaves; 1-2 sprigs thyme; 5-10 whole black peppercorns; 3 whole cloves; ½ cup heavy cream (optional); Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper; Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional); 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ¾ tsp kosher salt (½ tsp fine salt); 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 2/3 to ¾ cup whole milk

Description

Chicken and Dumpling Soup is a comforting dish that’s great to cozy up to in the fall and winter months.

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil
2 whole, bone-in chicken breasts*
2 whole, bone-in chicken legs
1 large onion, chopped into ½ inch pieces
3 medium carrots, chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup all purpose flour (optional)*
6 cups chicken stock (warmed or room temperature)
2 dried or fresh bay leaves
1–2 sprigs thyme
5–10 whole black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

Dumplings:

1 ¹/₃ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp kosher salt (½ tsp fine salt)
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
²/₃to ¾ cup whole milk

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Instructions

Season chicken: Pat chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
Brown chicken: Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add oil, followed by chicken pieces. Cook about 4-7 minutes per side or until well-browned. Cook in batches, as needed. Do not overcrowd pan. Remove chicken and set aside, reserving oil in pan.
Cook vegetables: Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, and celery to pan. Season with salt. Cook about 5-8 minutes or until vegetables soften slightly and onions are translucent. Do not brown. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, making sure not to brown.
Add flour and stock: Add flour to pan and stir to combine with vegetables. Slowly pour in stock while whisking to prevent lumps from forming.
Make herb bundle: Wrap bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, and cloves in cheesecloth. Tie with kitchen twine.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer: Add herb bundle and chicken to sauce pot. Partially cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Juices will run clear when it’s cooked.
Shred chicken: Remove and discard herb bundle. Remove chicken from soup. Shred chicken. Discard skin and bones. Return shredded chicken to pot.
Make dumplings: Bring soup back to a simmer. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and melted butter. Stir in 2/3 of a cup milk, and add an additional tablespoon at a time until the dough is just thick enough to hold its shape, but wet enough to be spoonable. Scoop tablespoon sized portions of dumpling batter on top of soup. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve: Scoop soup into serving bowls and top with parsley. Enjoy.

Notes

You can buy a whole chicken and break it down yourself instead of buying individual pieces. In that case, I recommend saving the backbone and wings to make homemade stock.

The flour is optional in my opinion. Use it if you prefer a slightly thicker soup.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Soup
Method: Boil, simmer
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/6 of soup and 2 dumplings
Calories: 460
Sugar: 8g
Sodium: 770mg
Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Unsaturated Fat: 12g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 31g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 42g
Cholesterol: 150mg