Chicken Soup with Fluffy Dumplings (Printable)
Hearty chicken soup simmered with vegetables and topped with tender, fluffy dumplings.
# What You Need:
→ Soup Base
01 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 2.5 lbs bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
10 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
11 - 1 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - 1 cup frozen peas
14 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
→ Fluffy Dumplings
15 - 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
16 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
17 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
18 - 3/4 teaspoon salt
19 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
20 - 3/4 cup whole milk
21 - 1 large egg, lightly beaten
22 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
# Directions:
01 - Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add chicken thighs and pour in chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
04 - Remove chicken to a plate and discard the bay leaf. Shred chicken using two forks, discarding bones. Return chicken to the pot.
05 - Stir in frozen peas and parsley. Keep soup at a gentle simmer while preparing the dumplings.
06 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
07 - In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and parsley. Pour wet ingredients into dry; mix gently until just combined.
08 - Drop tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto simmering soup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
09 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot, garnished with extra parsley.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The dumplings are foolproof if you resist the urge to overmix—light, tender, and almost cloud-like in the hot broth.
- Bone-in chicken thighs make the broth deeply flavorful without any extra effort or special ingredients.
- It comes together in just over an hour, yet tastes like it simmered all afternoon.
02 -
- Do not stir or lift the lid while dumplings cook—the interruption lets steam escape and they'll stay dense instead of becoming fluffy.
- Cold butter matters more than you'd think; warm butter gets absorbed into the flour instead of creating those little pockets that steam inflates.
- Thighs over breast: I learned this the hard way the first time, and the difference in juiciness and flavor is real.
03 -
- Taste the broth before adding the dumplings—if it needs salt, add it then, not after, because the dumplings will absorb flavor as they cook.
- Use a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil; vigorous bubbling can break apart your dumplings before they're even cooked through.