Soup is always my go-to comfort food. It’s hearty, warm and delicious. It the only food that can warm you from the inside out. You could say it’s my soul food. When I eat soup, any kind of soup, I can almost hear my body thanking me. When I made this recipe, my body not only thanked me, but it wants to know when I’m making it again! It’s on my regular soup rotation list.
This recipe came together quickly yet it has all the flavor of a cooked-all-day soup. To save time, I started with a grocery store rotisserie chicken. Yes, I will take help when I can get it and this saved me a couple of hours in the kitchen.
Making the chicken soup:
Remove the skin and discard. Shred the chicken (minus the wings, enjoy them) with your fingers into hearty bite-size pieces. Set aside. Dice the carrots, onions and celery. Mince the garlic clove. Chop the parsley.
Coat the bottom of a wide mouth pot with butter (2 pats) or olive oil (twice around the pan) and add the carrots, onions and celery. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Add ground thyme and turmeric and stir to combine and coat all the vegetables. Add the chicken stock, shredded chicken and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, reduce to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Cooking Tip: Using a wide mouth pot allows plenty of room for the dumplings without overcrowding.
While the chicken soup is simmering, whisk 1/2 cup of half and half with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. As you pour this back into the soup, whisk the soup to avoid any lumps. Bring back up to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium to low heat. You want to maintain an even low simmer. Remove the bay leaf, add parsley, stir and now you’re ready to drop the dumplings!
Make the dumpling dough:
Make the dumplings while the soup is simmering. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, kosher salt and pepper. Stir and make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the half and half and start whisking gently pulling dry ingredients from the sides until the dough forms. Set aside. The dough will thicken slightly and will be easier to drop in the soup.
Dumplings are little clouds in your soup! They are so delicious. Using two soup spoons, shape and drop a spoonful of the dough at a time into the broth. Work quickly so they can cook evenly. They should be imperfect, it’s part of their charming quality. As you drop them, do so close to each other without touching. As they cook and expand, they will fill the pot. Don’t disturb them. Allow them to set properly. Depending on how wide your pot is, and how much you scoop at a time, you could get from 14-16 dumplings.
Once you’ve dropped the dumplings. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Don’t peek. Turn heat off and leave covered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Use this time too clean up or enjoy a nice glass of wine!
My family loved this soup so much that they served themselves before I was able to capture the picture perfect image of my Chicken and Dumplings. The gaping whole is the crime scene they left behind. Just kidding. Nothing is more satisfying than when your family enjoys and appreciates what you made with love.
This soup will yield about 8 servings, depending on the portion sizes. It is still delicious the next day and it freezes well.
Note: Don’t discard the rotisserie chicken carcass! Throw it in a separate pot with half a medium onion, a garlic clove, the celery leafy green tops that we usually discard, a carrot or two and a bouillon cube. Cover with water and over medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook for an hour or so. Taste, season as needed. Strain and you have wonderful broth to use in a future recipe!
Enjoy! Please leave me a comment.
Chicken and Dumplings
Heartwarming, filling and satisfying. Perfect for those cold nights or when you need comfort food. This soup is a personal favorite and it hits the spot every time.
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled and shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large garlic clove, diced finely
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 6-8 cups chicken stock 2 32-ounce containers of chicken stock
- 1 large bay leaf (or two small ones)
- 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
Dumplings Batter
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
Instructions
Making the Chicken Soup
-
Remove the skin from the rotisserie chicken and discard. Remove the white and dark meat from the bone. Shred with your hands into hearty bite-size pieces. Set aside.
-
In a wide mouth pot over medium heat, coat the bottom with olive oil or butter and add the carrots, celery and onions. Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add ground thyme and turmeric and stir to combine.
-
Add the chicken stock, shredded chicken and bay leaf. Combine well and bring to a simmer. Lower temperature to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
-
In a glass measuring cup, whisk 1/2 cup of half and half or whole milk with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the chicken soup and stir to combine. Bring back up to medium heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add parsley.
Taste and reseason as needed.
Making the Dumplings
-
As the chicken soup simmers, sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and make a well in the center of the bowl.
-
Pour 1 1/2 cups of half and half in the center. Using a whisk, gently stir and pull the dry ingredients in from the sides into the center until all the ingredients are combined and you have a dough. Don[t over mix. Set aside and allow to thicken slightly while the soup finishes cooking.
-
Remove bay leaf from pot before dropping the dumpling dough.
With two spoons, shape and drop one tablespoon at a time of the dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Work quickly so the dumplings cook uniform. Drop the dough close but not touching each other as they will expand. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Don't remove the lid. Turn the heat off and leave covered for an additional 15 minutes so the dumplings fully cook in the broth.
Here's to your health! Enjoy.
