Chicken and Dumpling Soup

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Chicken and dumpling soup with rotisserie chicken, loads of veggies, a creamy broth and fluffy dill dumplings. No rolling or cutting in butter.

Prep Time10

Cook Time32

Total Time42

Course: Main Course, soups and starters

Cuisine: American

Servings (change as needed):

Author: Cheryl Avrich

US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

4 tablespoons vegetable oil ( or 2T butter, 2T oil)
1 medium onion
4 carrots, peeled
3 celery ribs
2 parsnips, peeled
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (~3 teaspoons)
4 tablespoons all purpose flour (use 5T for thicker soup)
4 tablespoons chicken bouillon base + 7 cups/1.6 liters water, Note 1 (for less salty, use 3-3½ tbsp).
handful fresh dill, Note 2
1 rotisserie chicken, Note 3 about 4 cups chopped into pieces.
3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped, Note 4
½ cup half-and-half cream (optional) (or heavy cream)

Dumpling dough recipe

1 ½ cups all purpose flour, Note 5 180 grams
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons kosher salt (or ½ tsp table salt)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons melted butter
¾ cup milk, any kind

US Measures - Metric

Instructions

PREP: Chop onion, carrots, celery and parsnips into ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces. You will end up with ~ 6-8 cups (800-1200 grams) chopped vegetables. To do this in a food processor: cut vegetables into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, place in processor bowl and pulse about 3 times. Alternatively, chop with a knife by hand. Cut chicken meat into small pieces, about ½ inch (1.3 cm)
SAUTÉ VEGETABLES: Heat oil (or oil-butter combo) in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes.
COOK SOUP: Lower heat to medium heat. Stir in 4 tbsp flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add 7 cups water + 4 tbsp chicken bouillon base (or 7 cups broth instead) and a good handful of fresh dill. Stir. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
MAKE DUMPLING DOUGH: While soup is cooking, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, dill, and salt until evenly combined. Add melted butter and milk. Stir with a fork into a ball JUST until combined and flour disappears. DON'T overmix. A few lumps are fine.
1 ½ cups all purpose flour, Note 5, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, 3 tablespoons melted butter, ¾ cup milk, any kind
FINISH SOUP AND COOK DUMPLINGS: Remove stems of dill and discard. Stir chopped chicken, cream, and spinach into the broth. bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer before dropping in the dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough, about 1½ tablespoons walnut-sized, and add to simmering broth one at a time, spaced out. Cover tightly and cook on medium-low heat (about 4/10) - not boiling - for 18 minutes. Don't lift the lid while dumplings are cooking. They will double in size. When done, test one by cutting it open to make sure it's not doughy inside. If it is, replace the lid and cook the soup and dumplings another few minutes. Gently stir.

Notes

Chicken broth: I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base with water. For a less salty soup, use 3 to 3½ tbsp. You can instead use 7 cups of store-bought chicken broth instead of water + bouillon (regular or low sodium - and adjust seasonings to your taste.
Dill alternatives: Add a handful of dill sprigs (stems and all) while the soup simmers, then remove the stems before adding the chicken. Or, instead, use 3-4 tsp finely chopped dill leaves. If you're not a dill fan, swap in parsley, thyme or chives .
Rotisserie chicken alternatives:
- You'll need about 4 cups chopped (skin and bones removed). I find Costco chicken is super tender in the soup.
- Leftover chicken or turkey works too.
- You can also roast 3-4 boneless chicken breasts at 375F/191C until they reach 155-160F (68-71C), about 15-20 minutes. They will finish cooking in the soup.
Frozen spinach option: If you don't have fresh baby spinach, you can use 2-3 ounces of frozen spinach (about 1/4-1/3 of a standard 10 ounce package. Just add to the soup and bring soup to a gentle boil before adding dumplings. Kale works too.
How to measure flour properly for dumplings: The best way to measure flour is to weigh it (you need 180 grams). If you don't have a scale, fluff it, scoop into a measuring cup, then level it off. Too much flour will make the dumplings dense.
Variations
- Deepen the soup flavor: While the soup is simmering, add 4-6 drumsticks or the bones from the rotisserie chicken for a richer broth (add 20 minutes to cook time). Remove them before cooking the dumplings.
- Make a stew version (similar to Cracker Barrel): Add an extra 2 tablespoons flour before adding the broth - for a gravy thickness.
- Dairy-free version: Skip the cream at the end. And, for the dumplings, use oil and broth or water (instead of butter and milk).
- Smaller dumplings: Use about 2 teaspoons of dough and cook them for 12-13 minutes.
- Add more protein and fiber: Before you cook the dumplings, add 1 cup chickpeas or cannellini beans to the soup, drained and rinsed.
- Soup from scratch: If you have more time, make a chicken soup from scratch and use the broth and veggies for this recipe.
More dumpling shortcuts
- Gnocchi: Stir in fresh or shelf-stable store-bought gnocchi at the end and simmer about 3 minutes, until tender.
- Bisquick: Mix 2 cups Bisquick with ⅔ cup milk (and chopped dill if you like). Drop spoonfuls into the simmering soup and cook 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered.
- Skip the dumplings: The soup is delicious on its own!
Make ahead, store, freeze:
- Make ahead: Make the soup without the dumplings up to 3 days ahead. Reheat to a gentle boil, then cook the dumplings fresh.
- Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as the dumplings absorb broth, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating gently. Or better, store dumplings separately.
- Freezing: Freeze the soup without the dumplings and cream (it will separate) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, and stir in the cream. Cooked dumplings can be frozen too, but they'll can get a bit mushy.
- Lunch tip: Dumplings are best fresh, so if you're eating it all week, cook only what you'll eat in a day or two and make more as needed. I just eat the leftover soup without dumplings and it's great.

Nutrition values are estimates. For less sodium, use less bouillon base.