| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 5 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- One 3 1/2-pound whole chicken
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns plus freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 large carrots, 1 cut into large chunks and 2 thinly sliced
- 3 large celery stalks, 1 cut into large chunks and 2 thinly sliced
- 2 medium yellow onions, 1 quartered and 1 chopped
- 2 medium parsnips, 1 cut into large chunks and 1 thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs fresh dill, 3 left whole and 3 chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, 3 left whole and 3 chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- A few fresh grinds whole nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- For the soup stock: Combine the chicken, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, carrot chunks, celery chunks, quartered onion, parsnip chunks, 3 sprigs dill and 3 sprigs parsley in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches (about 5 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, for at least 1 1/2 hours (or up to 2 hours if you have the time. The longer the better!) Add more water, as needed, skimming off scum (there won’t be much) and, if desired, some fat.
- Carefully strain the stock, discarding everything except for the chicken. (You should have 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 quarts of stock.) Set the chicken aside to cool briefly while you put together the rest of the soup. Return the strained stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the sliced carrot, sliced celery, chopped onion, sliced parsnip, chopped dill, chopped parsley and the salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings: In a small saucepan, bring the butter and 3/4 cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Let cool for a few minutes so it’s not so hot that it will cook the eggs, then whisk in the salt, sugar, nutmeg and the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated into a slightly lumpy thick batter. (It’ll take a little work to whisk in the eggs.)
- Drop heaping teaspoons of the dumpling mixture into the simmering soup, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the dumplings are cooked through; begin checking for doneness at 15 minutes.
- Pull the chicken meat off the bones and chop into bite-sized pieces. Season it with salt, then add it to the soup along with the ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt as needed. This is important: The amount of salt in a chicken soup can mean the difference between unappetizing chicken tea and the elixir of bubble love that it should be. So don’t skip this step, and don’t rush it, either. Taste your soup, and if it doesn’t make you smile reflexively, add more salt, about a 1/2 teaspoon of it, and give it a few good stirs so it can dissolve. Taste and repeat, as needed, until it tastes good.
- Serve, garnishing with fresh parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 720 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Cholesterol | 258 mg |
| Sodium | 1141 mg |
Reviews
I made this and I love it, my Grandkids loved it too , Thanks
Very good! Next time hubby suggested adding a little more seasoning to dumplings
I tried this with turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner and gluten free flour. Wow great flavor. Love this recipe.
Husband said it was AWESOME.
The dumplings are great. I added thyme and rosemary to the dumpling mix and will definitely use this recipe for my short cut chicken and dumpling soup.
This was easy and delicious! Made it as the recipe called for but simmered most of the afternoon. First stock I ever made and was thrilled. Will definitely be part of our rotation!
My favorite chicken and dumpling recipe. Love that this recipe includes parsnips. Follow the recipe as is, turns out great every time!
Very bland!
So delicious! The dumplings were so flavorful and the soup was full of amazing flavor! The recipe was very easy to follow and I like recipes that don’t involve ingredients that I only buy once. The video and directions were so easy to follow. Would recommend!
Dumplings were delicious and the soup was perfect for a chilly day.