Chicken and Dumpling Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
A Bowl of Pillowy Dumplings and Tender Poached Chicken
A dependable, weeknight-friendly chicken and dumpling soup that balances a clear, savory broth with soft vegetables and feather-light dumplings.
Think of this as the kind of soup you make when you want something familiar and forgiving: approachable prep, pantry-friendly ingredients, and results that feel like a warm, careful hug. The backbone is simple — low-sodium chicken broth lifted with a bay leaf and a sprinkle of dried thyme — so the vegetables and chicken sing without being masked by heavy seasoning. It’s the kind of meal that stretches to feed a family but is polished enough for guests.
Start by trimming and patting dry boneless skinless chicken breasts and giving them just a whisper of salt and pepper; poaching them gently in the simmering broth keeps the meat tender and moist (about 12–15 minutes, depending on thickness). Vegetables sautéed in a mix of olive oil and butter build a buttery, savory base: onion softens and carrots and celery pick up a little color, which adds both sweetness and depth to the finished bowl.
The dumplings are the show-stopper — a quick drop batter of all-purpose flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and a bit of butter that cooks into light, pillowy bites when dropped into a gentle simmer. Keep the broth at a low bubble so the dumplings set without being beaten into glue; they’re best added toward the end and eaten soon after they arrive, when their centers are tender and slightly steaming.
This soup is endlessly practical: you can poach the chicken and refrigerate the stock ahead of time, but note that dumplings absorb liquid as they sit, so make them just before serving or add a splash of extra broth when reheating leftovers. Serve it with crusty bread for dunking and expect a bowlful of silky broth, tender chicken, softened vegetables and dumplings that feel simultaneously homey and a little bit special.
Ingredients
How to Make Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry; season lightly with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming; add the onion, carrots (peeled and sliced), celery (sliced), and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened and vegetables begin to color, about 5–7 minutes.
- Pour in the 8 cups of chicken broth, add the bay leaf and dried thyme, and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chicken breasts to the simmering broth, reduce heat to low, cover partially, and poach until just cooked through, about 12–15 minutes depending on thickness; remove the chicken to a cutting board and keep the broth at a low simmer.
- While the vegetables soften (about 5–7 more minutes), make the dumpling batter: in a bowl whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut 4 tbsp (of the remaining butter) into the dry mix until pieces are pea-sized, then whisk the egg into the 3/4 cup milk and stir into the flour until just combined (do not overmix).
- Shred or roughly chop the cooked chicken and set aside. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Bring the broth and vegetables to a gentle simmer (not a boil). Using two spoons, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter onto the surface of the simmering soup, spacing them so they don’t touch; you should get ~18–24 dumplings depending on size.
- Scatter the shredded chicken back into the pot around the dumplings, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer without stirring for 12–15 minutes until dumplings are puffed and cooked through (a toothpick comes out clean).
- Uncover, stir in the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the chopped parsley, finish with a final grind of black pepper and a pinch of salt if needed, discard the bay leaf, and serve hot.
Recipe Card
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Chicken and Dumpling Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry; season lightly with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming; add the onion, carrots (peeled and sliced), celery (sliced), and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened and vegetables begin to color, about 5–7 minutes.
- Pour in the 8 cups of chicken broth, add the bay leaf and dried thyme, and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chicken breasts to the simmering broth, reduce heat to low, cover partially, and poach until just cooked through, about 12–15 minutes depending on thickness; remove the chicken to a cutting board and keep the broth at a low simmer.
- While the vegetables soften (about 5–7 more minutes), make the dumpling batter: in a bowl whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut 4 tbsp (of the remaining butter) into the dry mix until pieces are pea-sized, then whisk the egg into the 3/4 cup milk and stir into the flour until just combined (do not overmix).
- Shred or roughly chop the cooked chicken and set aside. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Bring the broth and vegetables to a gentle simmer (not a boil). Using two spoons, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter onto the surface of the simmering soup, spacing them so they don’t touch; you should get ~18–24 dumplings depending on size.
- Scatter the shredded chicken back into the pot around the dumplings, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer without stirring for 12–15 minutes until dumplings are puffed and cooked through (a toothpick comes out clean).
- Uncover, stir in the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the chopped parsley, finish with a final grind of black pepper and a pinch of salt if needed, discard the bay leaf, and serve hot.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 40
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Sodium
- 700
- Fiber
- 2
- Unsaturated Fat
- 9
- Protein
- 38
- Fat
- 17
- Cholesterol
- 116
- Trans Fat
- 0.3
- Calories
- 507
- Sugar
- 2.5