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a bowl of brothy chicken soup with carrot and celery pieces and two soft pale drop dumplings floating on the surface
Melissa Hart

Chicken and Dumplings Soup

Drop dumplings need a gentle simmer and a closed lid so steam can cook their tops. Peeking every few minutes lets that heat escape and stretches the cooking time. Keep the dough rough and spoon it in small mounds rather than stirring it smooth. The broth underneath stays loose enough to qualify as soup, with tender chicken and vegetables around the fluffy dumplings instead of a thick gravy holding everything still.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter for soup
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 celery ribs diced
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour for soup
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt for soup
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour for dumplings
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt for dumplings
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, for dumplings

Method
 

  1. Melt soup butter in a large wide pot and cook onion, carrots and celery for 6 minutes. Stir in soup flour for 1 minute, then gradually add broth.
  2. Add chicken, soup salt, thyme and pepper and simmer gently for 12 minutes.
  3. Whisk dumpling flour, baking powder and dumpling salt in a bowl. Stir in milk and melted dumpling butter just until a soft, slightly rough dough forms.
  4. Drop the dough over the simmering soup in 12 small mounds, leaving gaps between them. Cover tightly and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
  5. Check one dumpling: its center should be fluffy rather than wet dough and reach 160°F; the chicken must reach 165°F. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more if needed, then serve two dumplings with each bowl of soup.