My hubby is feeling a little under the weather today so I decided Chicken Soup and Dumplings would be a great choice for dinner. Soup can be healthy and hearty, and it doesn’t have to cook all day to be good! It can be a quick meal and ready in less than an hour. The key is having your fridge and pantry stocked so you have ingredients readily available.
In order to able to make soup quickly, I keep a variety of ground meat (chicken, beef, chicken sausage) in my freezer. It cooks more quickly. I always have onions, carrots, celery, garlic and broth (chicken, beef, and vegetable) in my kitchen. I may have mushrooms if I have been shopping recently and they haven’t already been used. A hearty soup needs a starch so I usually have brown or wild rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, or the makings for dumplings.
So here is my recipe for Chicken Soup and Dumplings:
- Soup:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup diced carrots (dice them small so they cook quicker)
- 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken broth, divided
- Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, to taste
- Dumplings
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- In a soup pot, cook ground chicken in small amount of broth. Add vegetables, four cups of broth, and seasonings. Cook on medium-high until vegetables are tender. Then, add two remaining cups of broth and return soup to a boil. While soup is coming to a boil, mix up the dumplings.
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter, Add in milk and stir just until mixed through. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup. (Should have about six dumplings.) Put the lid on and don’t take it off until the timer sounds!! That is the secret to light and fluffy dumplings. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Enjoy soup and dumplings!
This is a very basic soup recipe. It can easily be adjusted by using a different meat or adding pasta instead of dumplings. You are limited only by the ingredients in your fridge and pantry. Give it a try!
Caring for my family and sharing my heart 4 home!
