Chicken Soup Fluffy Dumplings (Printable)
Hearty chicken broth with vegetables and fluffy dumplings for a comforting and nourishing bowl.
# What You'll Need:
→ Soup
01 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 2.5 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
10 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
11 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - 1 cup frozen peas
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
→ Fluffy Dumplings
15 - 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour (210 grams)
16 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
17 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
18 - ¾ teaspoon salt
19 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
20 - ¾ cup whole milk (180 ml)
21 - 1 large egg, lightly beaten
22 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Place chicken thighs in the pot and pour in chicken broth. Season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through.
04 - Remove chicken thighs from the pot and discard bay leaf. Shred chicken meat using two forks, discarding bones. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
05 - Stir in frozen peas and chopped parsley. Maintain a gentle simmer while preparing dumplings.
06 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fingers until coarse crumbs form.
07 - In a separate bowl, whisk whole milk, beaten egg, and optional parsley. Pour wet ingredients into dry mix and gently fold until just combined without overmixing.
08 - Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough carefully onto the simmering soup (approximately 12 dumplings). Cover and cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid, until dumplings are puffed and fully cooked.
09 - Taste soup and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, garnished with additional fresh parsley.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- The dumplings are genuinely pillowy—not dense or gluey—because the baking powder does the heavy lifting while you sleep the lid on.
- Chicken thighs stay tender even after simmering, so there's no risk of dry, stringy meat ruining the whole bowl.
- This tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for batch cooking or feeding unexpected guests.
02 -
- Do not stir or peek while the dumplings cook—the steam is what makes them rise, and every time you lift that lid, you lose precious heat and moisture.
- Use cold butter for the dumplings because warm butter gets absorbed into the flour instead of staying separate and creating texture.
03 -
- Make the dumpling dough while the chicken simmers—it only takes five minutes, and timing it this way means everything finishes together.
- Leftover soup reheats beautifully, and the dumplings actually stay fluffy if you store them separately from the broth and add them back when reheating.