Recipe- Healthy Chicken And Dumpling Soup

Chicken and dumpling soup is a lighter version of classic chicken and dumplings that's still creamy, hearty, and satisfying. The homemade dumplings are a breeze to make and are the perfect pillowy texture in this soup. We cooked the chicken in the soup, but if you have leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken on hand, you can always use that instead.

Ingredients

For the Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, cold, cubed
3/4 cup milk

For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Method

For the Dumplings

* Gather the ingredients.

* Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Stir together.

* Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the flour and create pea-sized pieces of butter that are dispersed through the flour.

* Stir the milk into the flour mixture using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Knead a little bit with your hands until it comes all together.

* Roll the ball out into a flat sheet on a well-floured surface.

* Cut the dough into 1-inch squares using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Set them aside while you prepare the soup.

Make the Soup

* Gather the ingredients.

* Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a large dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, or until the onions are fragrant and barely softened. Remove from the pot and set aside, leaving as much oil behind as you can.

* Turn the heat to high and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot followed by the cubed chicken and salt and pepper. Leave the chicken undisturbed and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and finish cooking on the other side, another 2 minutes.

* Add in the chicken broth, bay leaf, and the cooked carrot and onion mixture. Heat on medium heat until simmering.

* Once simmer, add the dumplings a few at a time until they’re all in the pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring gently so they don’t stick together. Make sure to not shake off the excess flour from the dumplings when you’re adding them in. The extra flour will help thicken the soup.

* Cook on medium-low heat for another 5 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

* Top with chopped parsley and serve immediately.