Chicken and Parsley Cheese Dumplings

Fall is around the corner, and what better way to kick off the season with these delicious chicken and dumplings with parsley and cheese mixed in the dumpling?! This is one of my favorite comfort food dishes that warm you up on a cold rainy night – that I REAALLY hope we get out here in California – and really take me back to being a kid when my mom would serve up a similar recipe that I just couldn’t get enough of!

The dumplings really add to this recipe, loaded with parsley, cheese, and have a consistency that keep them nice and thick so that you can really get a good bite. This also keeps them from falling apart the next day when you heat them back up for leftovers.

And this broth. If this broth doesn’t cheer you up on a gloomy day I don’t know what will. It’s a simple broth, but what really makes it is frying the chicken in the beginning before creating a roux. It renders a little fat from the skin that just gives it this flavor that everyone will love!

And if you like your broth a little thicker, just wait until the next day! The flour from dumplings the next day always seem to make it a little creamier and it’s almost as if you have a entirely different meal to serve.

And if you really want to score extra points, use some homemade chicken broth that you can make the night before after you break down a whole chicken for this recipe. Not only does it save you money doing this, but it also will add flavor to this soup that you just can’t buy off the shelf!

Cooking Tips

Trick to Good Dumplings

The key to making sure your dumplings come out perfect is making sure that you cover the pot and keep covered during the entire process that the dumplings are in the soup! It will keep a nice flow of steam hitting the dumplings and keep them nice and firm!

Storage

Before you put the pot in the fridge for leftovers, be sure to set a portion aside in an air tight container and keep in the freezer for a weeknight down the road that you want to get something quick going for dinner. It’ll keep until the end of winter!

Chicken and Parsley Cheese Dumplings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 12 bowls

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 lbs bone in, skin-on chicken white, dark, both. it's up to you
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter

Soup Broth

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 whole carrots
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 tsp salt you might want more to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 32 oz water
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 whole bay leaves

Parsley Cheese Dumplings

• 2 cups white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup cheese like more cheese? go for it!
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

Prepping the Chicken and Broth

• Chop your celery, carrots and onion.
  
• Season your chicken with some salt and pepper.
  
• Lightly dredge in flour
  
• In a stock pot, melt 2 tbsp butter into 2 tbsp olive oil, then brown the chicken, about 2 minutes each side.
  
• You may need to cook in batches, when finished take the chicken out and set aside.
  
• In the same stock pot, dump the celery carrots and onions and cook down for about 2 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan to get the chicken "crust" incorporated. I also like to add about 1 tsp more flour, and some of the chicken skin as well to add more flavor and get a thicker broth, but this is up to you.
  
• Add in the broth, water, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves in the pot. add the chicken back in. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about 45 minutes.
  

Prep The Dumplings

• In a mixing bowl, cut 2 tbsp of butter into the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.
  
• Mix in the milk, then the cheese and parsley.
  
• Make sure the parsley and cheese is evenly mixed into the dumpling batter. Cover and place in the fridge.
  

Shred the Chicken

• After 45 minutes of simmering, remove the chicken.
  
• Remove the skin, then shred into bite-sized chunks, then add it back into the soup.
  

Cooking the dumplings

• Take the bowl of dumpling batter from the fridge, then in little spoon-sized chunks, drop into the soup.
  
• The batter will immediately rise to the top as you drop into the soup.
  
• Cover and let steam for about 15 minutes.
  
• Let sit for about 10 minutes to let it cool and serve with a little parsley and cheese on top! enjoy!