Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Sometimes you have a hard day and need a hug. And I might not be there to hug you, but I can offer you this super cozy, super delicious recipe. Everything comes together and cooks in one big pot. You’ll love it.

Don’t overwork your dumpling dough. 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. It’s even easier.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

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. Save your rotisserie bones to make my homemade bone broth. Don’t overwork your dumpling dough or they’ll be tough and chewy.

Make sure your Dutch oven is at least 5 quarts. The dumplings will expand and if it’s too small it will overflow.

This makes 6 servings. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Dutch oven (5 quarts – 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

How to Make Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Step One: Get Your Veggies Going First

Grab a big Dutch oven – and I mean BIG, at least 5 quarts or you’re gonna have a mess on your stovetop when those dumplings puff up. Heat some olive oil over medium-low heat and toss in your diced onion, carrots, and celery. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then. You want the onions to go translucent and everything to soften up. Just keep an eye on the heat so nothing burns.

Step Two: Build your Broth

Pour in your chicken stock, water, thyme, and dill. Crank the heat up to high and get it boiling, then bring it back down to medium-low for a nice simmer. Let it bubble away for 10-15 minutes while you make the dumplings.

Step Three: Make the Dumplings

In a bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the melted butter, milk, and rosemary if you’re using it. Mix it just until it comes together – don’t go crazy here or you’ll end up with hockey pucks instead of fluffy dumplings.

Step Four: Add Everything In

Add your cooked chicken to the soup along with a tablespoon of parsley, salt, and pepper. Now here’s the fun part – use a big spoon to drop blobs of dumpling dough right on top of the soup. They’ll look a little wonky at first, maybe even like they’re falling apart, but trust me, they’ll firm up.

Step Five: Cook and Serve

Pop a lid on that pot and let it cook for about 15 minutes. The dumplings will double in size (told you that pot needed to be big!) and get nice and firm.

Sprinkle with some fresh parsley if you want and ladle into bowls.

Serving & Storing

Serve in deep bowls with plenty of broth – and maybe some crusty French bread on the side for good measure. It doesn’t need much else, but you can add a simple green salad on the side.

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

When you reheat it, add a bit more broth or water since the dumplings will soak up the broth. Warm it slowly on the stovetop instead of the microwave for the best taste.

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.

More Comforting Dinners

• Whenever I want chicken pot pie but don’t want to deal with pastry dough, I make this chicken and biscuits casserole instead.
• Chili cornbread casserole is a great easy dinner all in one pan.
• Creamy white chicken chili is filling and cozy and you can top it with your favorites.
• Crockpot potato soup is just the thing for a cold January day.

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