My mom makes great chicken soup, but I've never had much luck. Usually my soup tastes bland. And I have a bad habit of adding way too many noodles, and the broth kinda disappears and it becomes a pasta dish. A flavorless one at that.
So I was really surprised when I tasted this soup! It was good. A bit too salty, but still! Better than bland! And it didn't have any noodles, but dumplings. Or Grand-Pères in my family. Grand-Pères were not a common occurrence in our house growing up, so it was always special when my mom made them. I've made them a few times over the years since I've moved out, but never realized how easy they are to make until I made this soup.
Chicken Soup and Dumplings
recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 small onions, chopped fine
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 celery ribs chopped fine
1/3 cup dry sherry
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley leaves
Dumplings
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled about 5 minutes
1 large egg white
1. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook until skin is crisp and well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, 5 to 7 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot.
2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, with any accumulated juices, to pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface using wide spoon or ladle. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin from chicken. Using fingers or fork, pull meat from chicken thighs and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return meat to pot.
4. FOR THE DUMPLINGS Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.
5. Return stew to simmer; stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Using greased tablespoon portion scoop, scoop level amount of batter and drop over top of soup, spacing about ¼ inch apart. Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled about 5 minutes
1 large egg white
1. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook until skin is crisp and well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, 5 to 7 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot.
2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to now-empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth and thyme. Return chicken thighs, with any accumulated juices, to pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, 45 to 55 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow broth to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface using wide spoon or ladle. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin from chicken. Using fingers or fork, pull meat from chicken thighs and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return meat to pot.
4. FOR THE DUMPLINGS Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps; whisk in egg white. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.
5. Return stew to simmer; stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Using greased tablespoon portion scoop, scoop level amount of batter and drop over top of soup, spacing about ¼ inch apart. Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.
I have a feeling we'll be eating this dish a few times over the coming months! Perfect for fall and winter.
