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:
For the Chicken 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
Chicken Soup 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
How to Make Chicken Dumpling Soup
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.
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!
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.
Hmmm pot roast. That’s my favorite!!! I’ve been craving everything spicy so maybe roast it on a bed of spicy peppers but not cut up. Give it some natural flavor.
this soup looks delicious! thanks for the recipe
Oh my goodness…how wonderful! The soup AND the giveaway! Thank you for both!
Love soup and can not wait to try this version of a chicken soup!
My family makes beef stroganoff. I’d use greek yogurt!
Oh, my gosh, this sounds so good. I love drop dumplings. To me, that’s the only way to have chicken and dumplings!
I am not sure how I would remake a favorite vintage dish – one of which is my grandmother’s stuffing recipe. Maybe cut down a bit on the butter and use whole grain bread but that would definitely change the taste.
All those recipes using canned cream of mushroom soup now use my own blend of ingredients that I can pronounce and feel good about serving my family.
Right now I’m up to my ovaries in packing – I can’t even think about remaking a recipe – but I’m trying to recreate my grandmother’s nut roll recipe and need to work on that. Would love to win this set for my new home.
I’ve never been a big fun of very heavy chicken & dumplings soup. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It sounds so yummy!
I would like to makeover our favorite dish-Lasagna.
I would love to update/lighten up biscuits and gravy but still keep the same “feeling”
I was introduced to chicken and dumplings a little late in life, although I’ve lived in the South (is FL really the south?!) since I was 10 (there were no dumplings or grits up in NY!). I love this lightened up version, what a beautiful soup Sommer!
I recently used my Great Grandmother’s yeast roll recipe to make cinnamon rolls. They turned out so yummy. Thanks for the giveaway! I love that little half-stick butter dish!
I would update my mom’s meatloaf with a bbq gravy!
LOVE this. I always add veggies to my C and D’s. Some people are appalled, but you’re right. Flour boiled in chicken broth CAN sit like a ton of bricks!
I love this so much, Sommer! It was great to see you in Austin this past weekend!!!!
Your soup looks great.
I don’t know how to up this from a vintage recipe, but we always make an Apple Pie from my grandmother’s worn, torn and browning cookbook. It’s the one thing that always connects me to home when baked. I think I might re-do it by trying to make my own crust, or somehow incorporating cranberries or additional fruits?