Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe
Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumpling Soup is a comforting, hearty recipe featuring tender chicken simmered with fresh vegetables in a flavorful broth, topped with soft, fluffy dumplings made from self-rising flour and buttermilk. This classic homemade soup is perfect for cozy meals and brings together simple ingredients with traditional cooking techniques for a satisfying dish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or more to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
Dumplings
- 2 cups (226 grams) self-rising flour
- 3 tablespoons very cold butter
- ¾ cup very cold whole buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley or chives, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the broth: Place the chicken pieces in a large Dutch oven and add enough cold water to cover them. Add chopped carrots, celery, onion, kosher salt, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Simmer the chicken: Cover the pot and let it simmer gently for 1 hour to extract flavorful broth and cook the chicken thoroughly.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken pieces from the broth and let cool enough to handle. Discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside the shredded chicken.
- Season the broth: Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with additional salt and black pepper if needed. Bring the broth back to a boil over high heat in preparation for cooking the dumplings.
- Make the dumpling dough: In a large bowl, place the self-rising flour. Add the very cold butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Stir in the cold buttermilk and minced fresh parsley or chives with a fork until the dough just comes together.
- Form and cook dumplings: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it gently 4-5 times. Pat dough to about ½ inch thickness. Pinch off 1½-inch pieces of dough and drop them directly into the boiling broth. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the broth simmers gently. Allow dumplings to cook undisturbed for a few minutes, then carefully turn them to ensure even cooking. Continue simmering for about 10 minutes until dumplings are fully cooked and tender.
- Add shredded chicken: Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot with the cooked dumplings and heat through.
- Serve and garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- You can adjust seasoning according to taste by adding more salt or pepper during the simmering and cooking process.
- Use very cold butter and buttermilk for light, fluffy dumplings.
- Do not overcrowd the pot when dropping dumplings; cook in batches if necessary to avoid clumping.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently on the stovetop.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute self-rising flour with a gluten-free self-rising blend and adjust rising agents accordingly.
