Our flavorful Chicken and Dumpling Soup is the ultimate comfort food! Made with tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and light & fluffy dumplings. It is one of our favorite options for a cozy & comforting, weeknight family meal or for making a big batch to share with friends and family!
The Best Chicken And Dumpling Soup
Our whole family loves this creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup because of the warm broth that also happens to be dairy-free! There is simply nothing better than a warm bowl of soup on those chilly winter nights. We frequently make this one for Sunday supper to enjoy throughout the week, but it is easy enough for a quick, weeknight meal too. Definitely a family favorite for years!
Looking for More Chicken Soup Recipes?
If you love soup as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup or Chicken Pot Pie Soup!
What You Will Need
- olive oil – a drizzle in the dutch oven for sautéing the garlic and onion.
- garlic & yellow onion – the perfect combo to get the flavor party started in any homemade soup!
- chicken stock – feel free to grab a store-bought chicken broth or learn how to make chicken broth for the best flavorful broth.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – we love using chicken breasts for this soup but you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs too, if you prefer. Or grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to make it super easy.
- bay leaf – a staple ingredient in most soups!
- kosher salt & pepper – option to adjust the salt amount to your preferred taste, this may also depend on what type of broth you use.
- fresh thyme – this is simply perfection in this soup – it really brings a lot of flavor!
- carrots, celery, frozen peas – this frozen and fresh veggie combination that we used, but feel free to use what you have.
- coconut milk – brings the creamy texture to the broth, plus added flavor.
- all-purpose flour – the thickening agent for the creamy soup and base for the light and fluffy dumplings.
- fresh eggs – provide structure to the dumplings so they don’t fall apart.
- unsweetened almond milk – brings the moisture to the dumplings – option to use regular milk or another plant-based milk too!
- baking powder – this provides that fluffy texture!
How To Make Chicken And Dumpling Soup
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to sauté the onion & garlic in a large pot over medium heat. After a few minutes you can gradually pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then add the chicken breasts and let cook for 15 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
While the soup is cooking you can place the dumpling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to fully mix the dumpling batter. Set aside.
When ready, place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and use 2 forks to shred. Then carefully remove 2 cups of hot broth from the soup pot and whisk with the flour to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the pot and mix to fully combine, then add the shredded chicken back in with the vegetables, fresh thyme, coconut milk, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Give it all a good stir and gentle simmer for 5-8 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
Next, it is time to add the homemade dumplings to this creamy chicken soup! Simply drop dumplings on top of the soup, a half tablespoon at a time. Continue this process until all of the dough is used. Then you will let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Finally, mix in the frozen peas.
Best Ways To Serve Chicken And Dumpling Soup
This delicious homemade chicken dumpling soup recipe is perfect all on its own, but if you like to add a side we suggest a piece of crusty bread with butter or grilled bread! You could also enjoy with a house salad and homemade creamy Italian dressing for a soup and salad combination.
Storage & Freezer
Fridge: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: store in a freezer-safe container for 3-4 months. To thaw, simply place the frozen soup in the fridge the night before you plan to eat it and then warm the next day. If possible, we love to wait on the dumpling part of the soup until right before serving.
Recipe FAQs
- Can chicken and dumpling soup be prepped ahead of time? The base of this soup can easily be made ahead of time and stored until you are ready to eat it. We do highly recommend that, if possible, you wait to make the dumplings until just before you are going to serve it. The dumplings can absorb quite a bit of the broth when stored together so if you are able to make them before serving, they really are best that way.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like
Easy Chicken And Dumplings
Chicken Pot Pie Skillet
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice
Dairy Free Dijon Chicken Skillet
Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our Chicken and Dumplings Soup recipe is the perfect comfort food and easy to make! Can be made dairy-free or gluten-free!
Ingredients
Chicken Soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1–2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1–2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (sub gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour)
Dumpling Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (sub gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Sauté: Bring Dutch Oven to medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and onions. Move around pan until garlic is fragrant and onions softens, about 1-2 minutes.
- Cook Chicken: Pour the broth in the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts. Cover and let chicken cook through, about 15 minutes.
- Prep Dumplings: While the chicken cooks, put the Dumpling Ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Shred: Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pot and set on a plate or cutting board. Shred with two forks and set aside.
- Slurry: Ensure the broth is very hot and then using a glass measuring cup with a handle to carefully scoop out two cups of broth. Add a 1/2 cup flour to the measuring cup and whisk immediately. Add the broth/flour mixture back into the Dutch Oven. Stir to combine.
- Finish Soup Base: Add the shredded chicken, bay leaf, salt, pepper, thyme, carrots, celery and coconut milk to the soup. Bring to a simmer and stir fairly constantly as it thickens, about 5-8 minutes.
- Dumplings: Take the dumpling dough and add about a 1/2 tablespoon of it at a time to the simmering soup. Continue this process with the rest of the dough. Once all the dumpling dough has been used, cover the Dutch Oven and let simmer 5-10 minutes or until dumplings are fully cooked.
- Frozen Peas: Add the frozen peas and give it another mix to fully combine.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Coconut Milk: feel free to use heavy cream or half & half, if you don’t need it to be dairy-free.
- Gluten-Free: simply use a 1-to-1 gluten free flour.
- Almond Milk: option to sub with regular milk or another plant-based milk.
- Storage: leftover soup can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 249
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 939.6 mg
- Fat: 6.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.5 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 73.3 mg
Kara Emery says
This was really good but my dumplings were pretty tough. I used a gluten free flour mix.
Any suggestions?
Cathi Phillips says
Made it tonight and it was delicious. Perfect for a chilly day.
Erin says
Awesome to hear, Cathi!
Julie says
Excellent soup. Comforting on a cold winter’s evening. Thank you.
Jennifer says
De-lic-ious! Reminded me of childhood. My 4 year old loved it too. Only substitutions we’re dried thyme and cow’s milk. I can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow.
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review – I so appreciate it!
EH says
Turned out SO good!