Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Chicken and Dumpling Soup is a modern take on the classic, with mini dumplings simmered together with tender chicken and vegetables in a flavorful broth! This Chicken Dumpling Soup is lighter than traditional chicken and dumplings with the same level of comfort!
Chicken Dumpling Soup
We’re having another Kitchen Conversation with Land O’Lakes! This time, the topic is Modernizing Vintage Recipes. We all have those family favorites that, let’s be honest, need a little refresh for our current dinner table. I came up with a vintage recipe that needs some updating to match our newly updated kitchen!
When we moved to North Carolina from the Midwest, one of the first things I noticed was the differences in cooking techniques.
In the South, cornbread is cooked in a skillet with bacon grease, unlike the tall, pillowy cornbread I was used to.
Grits are the breakfast side of choice, not home fries or cream of wheat.
And dumplings were noodles. Say what?!?
Chicken and Dumpling Soup Memories
Growing up, every chicken and dumplings recipe I ever ate had dumplings that were dropped from a spoon. Dumplings were dumped, not cut into noodles.
These morsels of dough simmered in the gravy until puffed into little balls of carby deliciousness. The irregular shapes and moist centers were part of the appeal.
Yet here in the South, friends tell stories of standing on a wooden stool while Great-Granny presses the dough out on the countertop. Then she let her grandbabies take turns cutting it into short, fat noodles with a pizza cutter.
Whether you prefer the dropped dumplings or noodle dumplings, one thing is for certain: A good chicken and dumplings recipe equals a hefty serving of nostalgia and a whole lot of love.
However… the last time I ate classic chicken and dumplings, I felt like I had a brick in my belly. I’m just not accustomed to eating such heavy dishes any more.
It made me think this vintage recipe was ready for a little “modernizing.”
So today I’ve made an updated version of my favorite chicken and dumplings recipe, Chicken and Dumpling Soup!
I ditched the heavy cream gravy and hulky dumplings for a thin, savory broth with mini parmesan-herb dumplings.
The fact that the chicken and dumplings aren’t drowning in gravy really allows the fresh, herbal flavors to shine. Also, this easy Chicken-n-Dumpling Soup takes much less time to cook because it uses chicken breasts instead of whole chicken.
I added a third of the butter I would normally use in my traditional chicken and dumplings recipe. Land O Lakes® Butter in Half Sticks made it easy to pull just the right amount out of the fridge. Using Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt created a rich, satisfying undertone.
Really, who needs gravy?
Modernizing is a good thing. Even when it comes to our most beloved dishes.
I honestly believe Grandma would approve.
Ingredients for Chicken and Dumplings Soup
This chicken soup with dumplings may look like it has a long ingredient list, but don’t get intimidated! It is super easy to make with some simple, pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken breast – chopped into bite sized chunks
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery & Carrots – for texture
- Ground Mustard
- Ground Turmeric – for color
- Bay leaf
- Chicken Stock
- Parsley
- Flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Thyme leaves
- Rosemary
- Milk
How to Make Chicken Dumpling Soup
Sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots for 8–10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add the mustard, turmeric, bay leaf, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Throw the ingredients for the dumplings in a bowl and whisk with a fork into a wet dough.
Then bring the soup back up to a boil and stir in the chicken and parsley. Spoon in small lumps of dough to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes further, then remove the bay leaf and serve warm.
See The Full (Printable) Recipe Card Below For This Chicken Dumpling Soup Recipe. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
A dumpling is a type of biscuit dough that is broken into small pieces and cooked through a steaming process like hot soup!
Store any leftover chicken soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through! Freezing is not recommended as the dumplings might dissolve when reheating.
Yep! Just substitute the flour in the dumplings for your favorite gluten-free flour mix. Consider adding an extra two tablespoons of flour to the mix; gluten free flour does not always hold up as well as regular wheat flour, particularly in soup.
Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, cook time, total time, and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber percentages.
Chicken and Dumplings Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 4 carrots thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt 1 half stick
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric for color
- 1 bay leaf
- 64 ounces low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Pepper to taste
Dumplings:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
- In a large sauce pot, melt the Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook for 8–10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the mustard, turmeric, bay leaf and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Then cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the ingredients for the dumplings in a medium bowl. Mix with a fork until a wet doughy consistency is reached.
- Once the soup base has cooked down for 15 minutes, bring the temperature back up to a boil. Stir in the chicken and parsley. Then use a spoon to drop scant 1/2-teaspoon lumps of dough into the soup. Simmer 5 minutes, until the chicken and dumplings are cooked through. Remove the bay leaf and serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
Disclosure: A Spicy Perspective has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversation blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.
WAYYYYY too much liquid, or WAYYYY too little flour!
I had to read, re read and re read again when I mixed the milk into the flour and parm cheese, I thought WHAT THE HECK this is like pancake no crepe batter! How in the heck and I supposed to actually drop the measured amounts into the soup???? So I added almost a half cup MORE flour before it was “close enough” to use. Thankfully, I am somewhat used to making dumplings for stew so figured out pretty fast that this recipe was WAY off and could save it. BUT for a novice cook… massive disappointment. Will go with my tried and true stew dumpling recipe next time just add in the chopped thyme rosemary and parm cheese.
The soup was flavorful, satisfying, yet light. The dumplings were delicious!!!! The taste and texture were great. Thanks for a lovely recipe.
LOVED the dumplings! The fresh herbs really shine. However, the chicken is bland, which detracts from the entire dish.
Yummy
The base of the soup is great. What takes this from a 4 star chicken and dumpling soup recipe to a 5-star is the dumplings themselves. They are melt in your mouth delicious. I used to hate dumplings because my mom made them with eggs, flour, salt, and a dash of milk and they were soooooo chewy. This recipe has changed the way I feel about dumplings because they are so soft and fluffy with the bonus of tasting amazing. BUUUUT. I ended up doubling the dumpling portion because the first time I made it, my kids complained there weren’t enough. Doubling it is perfect!
This was amazing it tasted awesome when I told my Husband I was making Chicken and Dumplings he said Yuck! but after eating this one he said it was amazing I am not sure why the dumpling mix was very thin so next time not as much milk I had a hard time dropping them but this is now my favorite soup to make
Thank You!
I followed this exactly, including the type of butter used. However, this was really bland ans made me wonder if the reviews were real. While the butter had sea salt and olive oil, i still needed to add extra seasonings. I added cajun and creole seasonings, everyday seasoning, fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch more of regular salt. I also added a touch of heavy cream , let it all simmer longer and then it came out great. Not overly seasoned, just right. I also lioked further at the reviews and some comments were about an apple crisp and a contest from years ago. I am guessing the reviews were merged to inflate this recipe for more views. I could be wrong. I appreciate the thought in a healthier version, but I know this wont be a memorable recipe for me to keep.
I made this and followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! Great flavor and the dumplings were really good! we will be making this again.!Thank you for sharing your recipe!