Nothing like a bowl of hot chicken and dumpling soup, especially when it's cold or YOU HAVE A COLD! This is a basic old fashioned made from scratch recipe that will make enough to share or stock your freezer for future meals. Comfort food at it's best and oh so good for you. You might want to cut the recipe in half if you have a small family.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
5 Lb. bag of potatoes
1 Lb bag of baby carrots (or 1 Lb. carrots, chopped and peeled)
3 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
2 T. butter
2 t. dried parsley
1 t. rubbed sage
1 t. rosemary
1 t. pepper
3 cloves garlic
salt to taste
dumplings:
1 dozen eggs
1 t. salt
flour, approximately 3+ cups
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
5 Lb. bag of potatoes
1 Lb bag of baby carrots (or 1 Lb. carrots, chopped and peeled)
3 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
2 T. butter
2 t. dried parsley
1 t. rubbed sage
1 t. rosemary
1 t. pepper
3 cloves garlic
salt to taste
dumplings:
1 dozen eggs
1 t. salt
flour, approximately 3+ cups
-Fill a large stock pot 3/4 full with water and put your chicken in. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
You don't need soup base full of chemicals and preservatives to get good flavor!
-In a skillet melt the butter
-add the celery, onion, garlic (I puree mine so my kids will eat it, otherwise chopped, diced, or whatever you like), parsley, rosemary and pepper.
-In a skillet melt the butter
-add the celery, onion, garlic (I puree mine so my kids will eat it, otherwise chopped, diced, or whatever you like), parsley, rosemary and pepper.
-fry until browned. This will add add all the flavor you need!
-Add fried veg to your stock pot of water and chicken and simmer covered for a couple of hours or a little longer while enjoying the aroma, mmmmm.
-Your soup will boil down a bit. You can see in the picture above that mine did. I added a little water back to bring the level up a couple inches.
-At this point, remove the chicken to a plate and allow to cool.
-At this point, remove the chicken to a plate and allow to cool.
-continue to simmer the broth.
-add sliced carrots and simmer about an hour. Carrots take longer to cook than potatoes.
-add sliced carrots and simmer about an hour. Carrots take longer to cook than potatoes.
-When chicken is cooled, remove it from the bone. Set it aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to add it. (If we add it now, it will fall apart in the broth and be nothing but shreds.)
-while the carrots are simmering, peel and slice your potatoes. Make sure not to cut them too small as potatoes have a tendency to fall apart in soup.
-After carrots have simmered for an hour or so, add potatoes to broth.
-while potatoes are cooking, start to prepare dumplings.
-After carrots have simmered for an hour or so, add potatoes to broth.
-while potatoes are cooking, start to prepare dumplings.
-In a mixing bowl, crack the whole dozen eggs. Whisk eggs with a t. of salt.
-Start a pot of water on to boil so it's ready when you are.
-Add flour to the whisked eggs one cup at a time until it forms a crude dough. it will be sticky, but not stiff enough to knead.
-Add flour to the whisked eggs one cup at a time until it forms a crude dough. it will be sticky, but not stiff enough to knead.
-Use two spoons to drop teaspoon sized wads of dough into boiling water. Tip: if the dough doesn't want to come off the spoon, dip the spoon into the boiling water, it will slip off.
-Boil for about 5 minutes or until cooked. If you cook for too long, they will start to swell, which is okay, but has potential for spilling over.
-When cooked, place cooked dumplings in a large bowl until ready to eat.
-When the potatoes are cooked, reduce heat to low.
-Taste your broth. Season to taste. Making homemade soup one realizes how much salt soup really takes. just keep adding a little at a time and tasting, you will get it right.
-Add the chicken and stir gently.
-Add the dumplings.
Tip: be aware that when you reheat later if the broth boils, the dumplings will swell. If planning to bring to a boil, you may consider removing the dumplings before heating, and adding them right before serving. It's not too hard to catch them, they float!
-Boil for about 5 minutes or until cooked. If you cook for too long, they will start to swell, which is okay, but has potential for spilling over.
-When cooked, place cooked dumplings in a large bowl until ready to eat.
-When the potatoes are cooked, reduce heat to low.
-Taste your broth. Season to taste. Making homemade soup one realizes how much salt soup really takes. just keep adding a little at a time and tasting, you will get it right.
-Add the chicken and stir gently.
-Add the dumplings.
Tip: be aware that when you reheat later if the broth boils, the dumplings will swell. If planning to bring to a boil, you may consider removing the dumplings before heating, and adding them right before serving. It's not too hard to catch them, they float!