Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe: A Cozy Fall Comfort Food
If there’s one thing I think of when I think of Fall dishes, it’s a warm, creamy and savory soup. I want herbs. I want aromas. And of course, I want the type of soup that warms the soul on a chilly fall evening by the fire. What could be better this season than this easy Chicken and Dumpling soup recipe .. Fall Harvest style?!
Other than your typical butternut squash or pumpkin based soups, I really couldn’t find anything that captured every essence of autumn. I’ve made both types of soups before and found them either too bland or too sweet. It was at this point where I started looking through creamy and savory soups that I could get creative with. Of course, I came across a chicken and dumpling soup recipe – a true classic. But it just didn’t scream “autumn” to me – so I manipulated it until it did.
A little bit of background first. Chicken and Dumpling soup is a traditional American dish traced back to Europe. It combines the texture of tender chicken, doughy dumplings, and softened carrots with savory broth, fresh herbs and seasonings. Absolutely PERFECT for simmering as temperatures drop and the desire for warm and filling meals grow.
So, what did I do different? There are hundreds of Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipes out there. Unfortunately, most of them are the same with little to no variation. I find that Fall Harvest based soups should be deeper in flavor – a meal that really tells the person you are cooking for that they mean something to you. Adding more flavor and soft textures definitely hits the mark for me. You’ll notice I add more herbs/seasonings and the main kicker? Half of the broth is beef – shhh! Nobody needs to know.
What You’ll Need
For the Dumplings:
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- ¾ tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
For the Soup:
- 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ cup chopped carrots
- 1 ½ cup peas
- 1 cup chopped onion (Spanish)
- 7 cloves peeled/chopped garlic
- 7 tbsp kerrygold salted butter
- 7 tbsp flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups beef broth
How You’ll Make It
Start by making the dumplings. Combine your dry ingredients first – 1 ¾ cup flour, ¾ tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder. Add in 1 and ¼ cup heavy cream and work through until a dough forms. Roll into 1 inch balls and allow to settle to room temperature while you begin your soup.
Cut chicken into 1 ½ inch slices. Heat your dutch oven to medium-high heat (a very large pot will work if you do not have one). Drizzle with vegetable oil and add in the chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side and remove to cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Then, cook the chopped carrots and onions in the dutch oven until softened. Add the garlic for the last minute of cooking.
Reduce heat to medium and drop in the 7 tbsp butter. It will melt easier if you allow the butter to get to room temperature first. Once melted, whisk in the flour stirring constantly to prevent burning until it turns into a thick paste (this is called a roux). Add in 4 cups chicken broth, 4 cups beef broth, 1 ½ cups heavy cream, 2 bay leaves, thyme, 2 tsp garlic powder and 2 tsp onion powder.
Now, bring the heat up until it is at a simmer if it isn’t already. Drop in the frozen peas and cover for 10 minutes. The frozen peas will bring the temperature of the soup down so we need to give it time to bring the temperature back up again.
Remove the lid and slowly add in the dumplings. The dough is heavy and will splash if you aren’t careful! Once all are added, cover the dutch oven once more for 15 minutes. I added in between 15-20 dumplings which sounds like a lot but trust me, the dumplings are the best part!
After cooking in the covered dutch oven for 15 minutes, you will see all of the dumplings floating on top. This is your sign that the Chicken and Dumpling soup is ready! Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving as it is going to be very hot. Remove the 2 bay leaves if possible. I spruce it up by adding a sprig of thyme to the boil and a little bit of cracked pepper. Enjoy!
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil extra virgin
- 1 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1 1/2 cup peas frozen
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 7 cloves peeled/chopped garlic cloves
- 7 tbsp salted butter kerrygold brand
- 7 tbsp flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups beef broth
For the Dumplings
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by making the dumplings. Combine 1 ¾ cup flour, ¾ tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder. Add in 1 and ¼ cup heavy cream and work through until a dough forms. Roll into 1 inch balls and allow to settle to room temperature while you begin your soup.
- Cut chicken into 1 ½ inch slices. Heat dutch oven to medium-high heat. Drizzle with vegetable oil and add in the chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to cool on a plate lined with paper towels.
- While the chicken is cooling, cook the chopped carrots and onions in the dutch oven until softened (use more oil if needed – just enough to coat the bottom). Add the garlic for the last minute of cooking.
- Reduce heat to medium and add 7 tbsp butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour stirring constantly to prevent burning until it turns into a thick paste.
- Add in 4 cups chicken broth, 4 cups beef broth, 1 ½ cups heavy cream, 2 bay leaves, thyme, 2 tsp garlic powder and 2 tsp onion powder. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the frozen peas and cover for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and add in the dumplings one at a time to avoid splashing. Add lid and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and allow to cool at least 10 minutes. The dumplings should be floating. Be sure to extract the bay leaves before serving! Enjoy!