Chicken soup and dumplings recipe
A whole chicken gives all its rich flavour to the broth. The dumplings are fluffy, doughy, tender and just spongy enough to absorb the savoury soup. Chunks of chicken turn this into a wholsome main course situation.
This recipe is from Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen. Published by Michael Joseph, £16.99 RRP.
Ingredients
For the soup- 1.8 kg bone-in chicken, skin-on chicken thighs and breast
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 thyme sprigs, or half a teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 rosemary sprig, or half a teaspoon of dried rosemary
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1cm (0.4 inch) dice
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm (0.4 inch) dice
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 1cm (0.4 inch) dice
- 30 g plain flour
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 60 ml double (heavy) cream (optional)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 125 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 handful soft herbs (like coriander/cilantro), optional
Details
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 150 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- First, make the soup. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large casserole dish, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. Working in two batches, brown the chicken until golden, about 4 minutes per side. If the pot is looking a little dark on the bottom, splash in some water and scrape up any browned bits between batches, and keep those juices with the chicken.
- Return all the chicken to the pot and add 2 litres (68 fl oz) of water, the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon salt.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
- Strain the stock through a colander set over a large bowl (there should be about 2 litres (68 fl oz) liquid; skim off some of the fat if you want). Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
- Using two forks or a pair of tongs, pick the chicken meat off the bones and set aside (discard the bones and skin).
- In the same casserole dish, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until the carrots begin to soften, about 6 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring, until all the flour has been absorbed and darkens a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Add the strained stock, the chicken meat and the potato, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the stock thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the stock simmers, make the dumpling dough. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork until just incorporated (the batter will be thick; don’t overmix, which could toughen the dough).
- Spoon up 1 tablespoon of the batter and use a second spoon to push it off into the simmering soup.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover and cook until the dumplings are fluffy and tender, about 15 minutes.
- Divide the soup and dumplings among bowls. Garnish with herbs, if you want.
This recipe is from Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen. Published by Michael Joseph, £16.99 RRP.
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