Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumpling Soup with some healthy vegetables. The important ingredients or components of any chicken and dumplings soup are the chicken, dumplings, and some vegetables such as carrots; other things such as cream, milk, or buttermilk are entirely up to you. There are variations and the type of ingredients added depends on how healthy you want to prepare your own homemade chicken and dumplings recipe.
Chicken and dumplings soup originated in Quebec, Canada; it is also common in Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States of America. The chicken and dumplings recipe is easy to make, a common comfort food that is often made in cold seasons and quite filling; you can enjoy it with cornbread or some roasted vegetables.
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Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
This is an easy homemade chicken and dumplings recipe, a chicken soup that you can enjoy during cold weather; homemade chicken and dumplings can be served with some cornbread, some vegetable salads, or roasted Brussels sprouts. This soup is made by first cooking the chicken and then shredding it; after which the chicken broth is used to cook the dumplings in the soup. The dumplings are made from biscuit dough or you can use already made dough such as Bisquick dough for this chicken and dumpling recipe. The biscuit dough for making this dumpling recipe consists of shortening, flour, and some liquid. For the liquid, you can use buttermilk, milk, water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth. To make it creamy, some people use evaporated milk in the dumpling soup. You have this recipe or you can also watch on our Youtube channel (Onyx Food Hill) on how to make homemade chicken and dumplings. The video is found just below the recipe section.
Ingredients
- 1½ kg chicken - this could be chicken breast or chicken thighs. You need the part of the chicken that you can shred easily and these two chicken parts are best for chicken and dumplings.
- 7 cups chicken broth - if you have chicken, don't worry about this. Part of the process of making homemade chicken and dumplings involves cooking the chicken and the resulting broth is used for further cooking.
- 1 tsp baking powder - to prevent the dumpling from being too chewy. You need the dumplings to be soft.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - any type of flour can be used to thicken the chicken and dumpling recipe.
- ¾ cup milk - or buttermilk or water. It all depends on whether you need it creamy or not.
- 2 whole chopped carrots - medium sizes
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 3 pieces celery sticks (chopped)
- 1¾ tsp black pepper powder
- ¼ cup lard or any shortening
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- ⅓ cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed
Instructions
Cooking and shredding the chicken
- Start by cooking the chicken. Bring the chicken into a pot on the stovetop.
- Season the chicken with 1 tsp of black pepper powder, 2 crushed garlic cloves, ½ cup of chopped onions, and ½ tsp of dried thyme.
- Add 7 cups of chicken broth to the chicken pieces.
- Add 2 bay leaves and then cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- After 45 minutes, the chicken should have been cooked. Pick them out of the broth and allow them to cool down a bit.
- Shred the chicken into smaller pieces using a fork and keep aside.
- Place a pot on the stovetop and add 1 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil and also 2 tbsp of butter.
- Once the butter has melted, go in with ½ cup of chopped onions and stir fry for 3 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent.
- Next, add the chopped carrots, celery, and minced garlic cloves. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the veggies are soft.
- Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of flour over it to make a roux, this will help to thicken the chicken and dumpling soup. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Now, add 6 cups of the chicken broth gotten from cooking the chicken. Stir to dissolve the flour.
- Season the chicken and dumpling soup with ½ tsp of ground black pepper powder, 1 tsp of paprika powder, ½ tsp of dried thyme, and ½ tsp of salt. Stir, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
Making the dumpling dough
- As the soup is simmering, start making the dumpling dough or biscuit dough.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp of salt, and ¼ tsp of black pepper powder. Stir to combine with a hand whisk.
- To the flour mixture, add the shortening (or lard) and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley. Mix with a spatula until you have a crumbly texture.
- Add ¾ cup of milk and mix with a spatula until you have a little sticky dumpling dough.
- Return to the simmering soup and add the dumpling to the soup. You can use an ice cream scoop to have the same sizes. Scoop the dumpling into the soup. You can make the dumplings flat or round.
- Cover and cook the dumplings in the soup for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are heated through. You can pick one dumpling from the soup and divide and see if it has been heated through. If not, cook further for a few minutes until they are fully cooked.
- After cooking the dumplings in the soup, the dumpling soup should have been a bit thickened; now, add ⅓ cup of frozen peas and the shredded chicken. Gently stir to combine and then cover and cook for about 5 minutes to heat up the chicken and to cook the frozen peas.
- After 5 minutes, garnish with 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, and your homemade chicken and dumpling recipe is ready.
Video
Notes
If you want the dumplings to be really soft and not too chewy, you can increase the amount of baking powder by 1/4 tsp.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 kg of chicken – this could be chicken breast or chicken thighs.
- 7 cups of chicken broth.
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 3/4 cup of milk, buttermilk, or water
- 2 medium-sized chopped carrots
- 4 tbsp of chopped parsley
- 3 chopped celery sticks
- 1 and 3/4 tsp of black pepper powder
- 1/4 cup of lard or any shortening
- 1 tsp of paprika powder
- 1/3 cup of frozen peas
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 minced garlic cloves
How to Make Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
- Start by cooking the chicken. Bring the chicken into a pot on the stovetop.
- Season the chicken with 1 tsp of black pepper powder, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, and 1/2 tsp of dried thyme.
- Add 7 cups of chicken broth to the chicken pieces.
- Add 2 bay leaves and then cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- After 45 minutes, the chicken should have been cooked. Pick them out of the broth and allow them to cool down a bit.
- Shred the chicken into smaller pieces using a fork and keep aside.
- Place a pot on the stovetop and add 1 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil and also 2 tbsp of butter.
- Once the butter has melted, go in with 1/2 cup of chopped onions and stir fry for 3 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent.
- Next, add the chopped carrots, celery, and minced garlic cloves. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the veggies are soft.
- Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of flour over it to make a roux, this will help to thicken the chicken and dumpling soup. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Now, add 6 cups of the chicken broth gotten from cooking the chicken. Stir to dissolve the flour.
- Season the dumpling soup with 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper powder, 1 tsp of paprika powder, 1/2 tsp of dried thyme, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Next start making the dumpling dough (or biscuit dough) as the soup is simmering.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of black pepper powder. Stir to combine with a hand whisk.
- To the flour mixture, add the shortening (or lard) and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley. Mix with a spatula until you have a crumbly texture.
- Add 3/4 cup of milk and mix with a spatula until you have a little sticky dumpling dough.
- Return to the simmering soup and add the dumpling to the soup. You can use an ice cream scoop to have the same sizes. Scoop the dumpling into the soup. You can make the dumplings flat or round.
- Cover and cook the dumplings in the soup for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are heated through. You can pick one dumpling from the soup and divide and see if it has been heated through. If not, cook further for a few minutes until they are fully cooked.
- After cooking the dumplings in the soup, the dumpling soup should have been a bit thickened; now, add 1/3 cup of frozen peas and the shredded chicken. Gently stir to combine and then cover and cook for about 5 minutes to heat up the chicken and to cook the frozen peas.
- After 5 minutes, garnish with 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, and your homemade chicken and dumpling recipe is ready.
FAQ
How do you thicken broth for chicken and dumplings?
As the soup cooks, the added fresh dumplings or biscuit dough contains flour and thickens the soup as they cook.
What to serve with chicken and dumplings
You can serve chicken and dumplings with some roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted carrots, or broccoli. It can also be served with cornbread or some vegetable or fruit salad.
Why are my dumplings chewy?
The dumplings can be chewy due to an overworked dough, little or no baking powder, or the dough is too thick and contains too much flour.