Chicken and Dumpling Soup

What a perfect recipe for a cold winter's day!  I can't take credit for this one -- my awesome friend passed it along to me :) I hope you enjoy it as well.

 

Broth

Chicken (broiler or fryer is preferred) - I get a 3-4lb chicken

Carrots (2 lb bag)

Celery (1 bag)

White or yellow onion

Chicken Bouillon Cubes (need about 15 of these)

 

Dumplings

Eggs (I use about 7)

Pinch of Salt

Flour

 

 

Start by filling a stock pot half full of water. Add your (washed and "gutted") chicken into the pot, cover and bring to a boil. (By gutted, I do mean pulling out the "innered's" before cooking). Once boiling, drop the heat down and let cook for 1 - 1.5 hours. Flip once time halfway through cooking.

 

While waiting for the chicken to cook, I take this time to cut up the carrots, celery and onion. Toss those into a bowl, and unwrap about 12-15 cubes of your chicken bouillon. I toss those into my bowl of veggies as well :)

 

Once the chicken is done, pull it out and set aside to cool. Take a strainer and scoop out any "unwanteds" from the boiling process.  Then add your bowl of veggies and bouillon cubes into the pot. Cover and heat on medium to medium high. 

 

Once your chicken has cooled, pull apart and cut your chicken (or shred) to your liking. Add into pot :)

 

Now it's time to start making dumplings!  Yay!  Crack about 7 eggs into a bowl and add ONLY a pinch of salt.  Whisk all together.  Use less eggs for less dumplings -- in my photos of my soup, I used 7 eggs.

 

Next, start by adding small amounts of flour to your bowl of eggs.  I use a TBSP at a time. Add flour, and stir.  Add another TBSP of flour and stir.  Repeat -- for seriously a while!  I lost count, but I know I added well over 20 TBSP's to my egg mixture. It's a great arm workout ladies!  Embrace it! Your end result will be a THICK and sticky dough-like substance.  And you'll know when it's ready when the flour/egg concoction starts to pull away from the side of the bowl.  (You'll know, trust me!)

 

Then, take two spoons, and start making little dough balls. Scoop a little with one spoon, then use the other spoon to roll the dough off the 1st spoon, and into the pot of broth.  Repeat until all your dough is in. Don't make the mistake I did by making too big of dough balls!  Little is key, as they expand once in the broth! 

 

Finally, when you are done with the dumpling creation, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.  (Perfect time to throw some rolls into the oven to compliment your soup!) Alas, ready to eat!