Chicken & Dumpling Soup
 
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A hearty soup that's the perfect pick-me-up on any rainy day.
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Ingredients
For the soup
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups chopped bell peppers*
  • 4 chicken legs
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • Olive oil
For the dumplings
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  • Water
Instructions
  1. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron or other heavy bottomed pot (at least 3 quarts in capacity) over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers and garlic with a little salt and pepper, sauteeing until fragrant and slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and season with chicken bouillon, crushed red pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
  2. Season chicken legs generously with salt and pepper before adding to the pot. Carefully add them to the soup and drop in your bay leaf. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and then reduce to a simmer and put the top on. Let the soup simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and (ideally) falling off the bone. After the 30 minute mark, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Note: You can let the soup simmer for longer, if you can stand it. Soup it always better the next day, as the flavors have more of a chance to develop and meld together.
  3. When the chicken is cooked through, it's time to make your dumplings. Add your flour to a bowl and slooowwwwly add water, a couple of tablespoons at a time. With one hand, bring the dough together into a ball (use your clean hand to control the faucet :) ). Keep adding water until the dough comes together, into a smooth, not overly sticky, ball. If you overshoot the water, just add more flour. You can always just add more of one or the other to get it to the right consistency (you just might end up with a whole lot of dumplings if you add too much too quickly!)
  4. When the dough is the right consistency, pull off 2 inch pieces and roll them into the shape of your preference (Grandma Chickie makes "spinners" which look like giant worms... haha. Anthony's mom makes them into flattened rounds and then presses her thumb into the center so that the middle cooks through quickly. I went with the round ones this time.)
  5. Drop your dumplings in and make sure they have room to sink to the bottom (or at least under the liquid level). Why? Because when they float you'll know they're done. :) If you make them smallish like I did, they should only take about 10 minutes or so to cook through.
Notes
*For the bell peppers, use whatever color combo you like. I used ½ of each of a red, orange, yellow and green pepper.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 4 Calories: 580 Fat: 17g Saturated fat: 4g Unsaturated fat: 10g Carbohydrates: 46g Sugar: 5g Sodium: 1276mg Fiber: 4g Protein: 58g Cholesterol: 255mg
Recipe by PurposeFull Life at http://www.lifepurposefull.com/chicken-and-dumpling-soup/