Alright alright, I know it is not snowing in Texas… but I can dream of the winter wonderland I was in a few months ago. And despite it not snowing in Texas, the humidity takes cold to a whole different level of chilly butts.
When it gets that cold, you need a soup to warm you up. Plus during the winter months our bodies need that natural penicillin that chicken soup provides.
Our best friends came up to visit us while we were in the mountains and I was stoked to make my chicken dumpling soup recipe. It is a family favorite, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like chicken soup and the dumplings just make it even cozier.
Now I struggled because we stopped at Walmart for our grocery shopping… the usual items I look for were nowhere to be found. We don’t stop here often, but when you’re in the middle of nowhere you just have to roll with the punches. The people were kind and I just put on my resourceful mama cap and did the best I could do.
Sidenote: THIS is why we take supplements, vitamins, probiotics and drink Ningxia Red every day in my house…because we cannot live in a perfect world or eat perfectly…but these tools help eliminate free radicals from our bodies and protect us from getting sick. (Not to mention homemade chicken broth is nature's form of penicillin so it will help boost the body's immune system and rebound faster from any sickness going on.)
So I just couldn’t get the whole chicken I found there… so I resorted into getting several packages of organic chicken legs and some organic turkey legs I found too. Thankfully the recipe is pretty simple so I didn’t have to waiver too much in my ingredient list.
This recipe is sure to please any friends visiting, family visiting or just your sweet little immediately family at home. I grew up eating this soup and ask for my mom to make it all the time. It is so nourishing and wonderful.
Chicken Dumpling Soup
1 whole chicken (organic) OR chicken legs, split breast… you just need the bones to create a broth
Extra pack of chicken legs
3 Celery stalks
1 White onion
3 Carrots
Salt and pepper
1 c Flour
1 c Milk
1/2 c butter
1/2 tsp nutmeg (or one drop of nutmeg essential oil)
3 Eggs
French Bread
So the deal with the dumplings is… I have yet to find another way to make them as delicious as these. I tried whole wheat flour and it just wasn’t the same. I have not tried alternative flours, and maybe that will be my next winter cooking project. But for now, I relinquish my flour fear and just enjoy this soup recipe…because I don’t eat it that often.
First things first, you need to get the onions, celery and carrots in the pot to start sauteeing. Add in the chicken/legs to start creating our broth. Fill the water past the chicken, add in plenty of salt, a bay leaf and then let it come to a boil. Once it is boiling, simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Check your broth, add more salt if you need to or pull out a carton of chicken broth. Pull out the chicken, let it cool.
Start making your dumplings -- add milk, and butter to a pan bring to a low boil, add in nutmeg and flour. Stir until dough leaves the sides of the pan, then add in your eggs -- one at a time. This should form a sticky dough.
Your broth should be at a rolling boil at this point, add in the dumplings one spoonful at a time. The dough should slide off your spoon and you know the dumplings are done when they all rise back to the top of the soup.
Serve with french bread... we're splurging here. Keep your DiGize handy! This soup truly warms the soul and is perfect for a chilly day anytime of the year!
Enjoy!