Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Soup is the perfect comfort food. This chicken and dumpling soup is ready quickly and has all the comfort without any fuss. The perfect dinner recipe on a cold day or if you’ve had a hard day and feel like you need a hug.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Equipment
- 5-quart Dutch Oven (any smaller and it will overflow)
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth 2 quarts
- 2 cups water
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- 3 ½ cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded rotisserie works great
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh chopped divided
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dumplings
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary optional
Instructions
- Saute veggies. In a large 5-6 quart pot or Dutch oven, warm oil over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 10 minutes until onions look translucent and vegetables are more tender. Stir occasionally and watch the heat to make sure the vegetables don’t burn.
- Add broth and simmer. Add chicken broth, water, dried thyme, and dill. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and let the broth simmer for 10-15 minutes while you make the dumplings.
- Make dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the melted butter, milk, and rosemary (if using). Mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.
- Add chicken and dumplings. Add the cooked chicken, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt, and pepper to the soup. Using a large soup spoon, drop mounds of the dumpling dough onto the soup. The dumplings will spread a little as they heat and may look like they are coming apart, but they solidify as they are cooking.
- Cook. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are firm.
- Serve. Sprinkle the soup with chopped parsley to garnish if desired. Scoop soup into individual serving bowls and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (yes, it’s totally fine) and saute your veggies properly. Your soup will have a rich flavor and taste like it’s been simmering for hours.
Don’t overwork your dumpling dough. The first time I made these, I stirred until it was smooth and ended up with tough, chewy dumplings. No one wants that. Just mix until the flour disappears, and they’ll turn out light and fluffy. If you don’t want to make the dumplings, you can make my creamy chicken noodle soup.
Tips for Success
Use a pot that’s at least 5 quarts – those dumplings will double in size as they cook.
Keep the soup at a gentle simmer while the dumplings cook. A rolling boil can make them fall apart.
Don’t peek under the lid while the dumplings steam – the steam is what makes them fluffy.
Look for dumplings that feel firm to the touch when done, about 15 minutes.
Ingredients and Equipment
Dutch Oven: A heavy-bottomed 5-quart (or larger) pot is non-negotiable here. The wide surface area gives dumplings room to expand.
Chicken: Pre-cooked chicken is a time-saver! Rotisserie chicken works well, or use leftover roasted chicken.
Fresh Herbs: While dried herbs flavor the broth, fresh parsley at the end adds brightness. The optional fresh rosemary in the dumplings is worth trying at least once.
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Make It Your Own
This soup is great on its own, but here are some ways to change it up.
- Swap turkey for chicken after Thanksgiving.
- Add frozen peas or corn in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Make the dumplings more savory with grated parmesan or fresh thyme.
- For a lighter soup, use half broth and half water.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, any large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid will work.
I hope you love this simple soup recipe that comes together quickly and can fit into your busy life.
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.