Chicken Soup with Dumplings (Printable Version)

A nourishing blend of tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and fluffy dumplings in a rich broth.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Soup

01 - 1.5 lbs bone-in, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
02 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 3 carrots, sliced
06 - 3 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 1 tsp dried thyme
10 - 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
11 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
12 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dumplings

13 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
14 - 1 tbsp baking powder
15 - 3/4 tsp salt
16 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
17 - 2 tbsp fresh chives or parsley, chopped (optional)
18 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
19 - 3/4 cup whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables soften.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Place chicken pieces in the pot. Pour in chicken broth, then add bay leaves, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper.
04 - Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that appears.
05 - Remove chicken from the pot. Shred the meat using two forks and discard bones and skin if present. Return shredded chicken to the pot, discarding bay leaves.
06 - Taste the broth and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in freshly chopped parsley.
07 - In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and optional herbs. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
08 - Drop spoonfuls of dough, about one tablespoon each, onto the simmering soup surface.
09 - Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
10 - After 15 minutes, check dumplings for doneness; they should be firm and cooked through. Serve hot, garnished with additional parsley if desired.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • Those tender, fluffy dumplings actually work because you let them be.
  • The broth tastes like it's been simmering for hours, but it takes less than an hour total.
  • Shredded chicken soaks up the seasoning so the whole bowl tastes connected and whole.
02 -
  • Overmixing the dumpling dough turns them dense and tough—your restraint is literally the ingredient that makes them light.
  • Lifting the lid while the dumplings cook stops them from steaming properly, and they'll be gummy instead of tender.
  • Using cold butter in the dumpling dough is what creates those little air pockets; warm butter defeats the whole purpose.
03 -
  • The moment you add the dumplings, resist every urge to lift that lid—the steam is doing the work, not you.
  • Tasting the broth at the end, before the dumplings go in, gives you a chance to fix anything that's off before it's too late to change it.

Return