Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup

Chicken and Dumpling Soup is an all time classic comfort food.  The combination of veggies and chicken in a creamy broth mixed with dumplings… I’m not sure if too many things can top it!

It’s a simple, and yet beautiful, dish.  While there are a few steps involved and it does take a little time to prepare, there is nothing to be intimidated about.  The ingredients are easy to throw together - even the dumplings.  To save a little time you could skip the first steps by using a rotisserie chicken.

This meal is perfect for these cold winter months, but I guarantee that I will be making this all year round!

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Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup {print recipe}

Soup Base:
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water, plus 1/2 cup water, divided
2-3 chicken breasts {about 1 1/2 pounds}
1/4 cup flour

Vegetables:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons course salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup frozen peas

Dumplings:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Soup Base, bring the chicken broth, 4 cups water, and chicken breasts to a boil in a large pot.  Cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the broth in the pot, and shred the chicken with two forks.  Set the chicken aside and keep the broth warm on the stove.

Next, prepare the Vegetables.  In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the celery, carrots and onions. Saute for about 7 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Add the salt, thyme and pepper to the vegetable mixture and stir together.  Then add the vegetables to the reserved hot broth in the pot {without the chicken}.  Heat the soup to a simmer.

To finish the Soup Base, blend 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup flour with a wire whisk in a small bowl until smooth.  Whisking vigorously, slowly add the flour mixture into the hot vegetables and broth and whisk until well combined.  Add the frozen peas and the reserved chicken.  Cook and stir gently for one minute.

For the Dumplings, stir together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, milk and oil.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.  Don’t overmix, it is ok if there are a few dry spots of flour here and there.

Heat the soup to boiling and drop teaspoonful amounts {the dumplings should be fairly small, they’ll expand while cooking} of dumpling dough into the boiling soup, covering the entire surface of the soup.  Don’t make more than one layer of dumplings at a time.  Reduce the heat to simmering, cover and let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes.  Do not lift the lid of the pot while the dumplings cook.

When the dumplings have cooked fully, remove the lid and gently stir the dumplings to break them apart and combine with the rest of the soup.  Make another layer of dumplings and repeat the process of covering for 15 minutes without removing the lid.  When they have cooked, remove the lid and stir the dumplings into the rest of the soup.  Continue this process until all of the dumpling dough has been used.  Serve.

Recipe is adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.