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Finished spring chicken and dumplings fill a dark blue Staub cocotte. The cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface and is surrounded by a blue and white striped linen napkin and fresh herbs.

Springtime Chicken & Dumplings with Hella Fresh Herbs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Soup, Stew & Chili Recipes, Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Equal parts cozy + comforting & light + fresh, there’s no better meal to savor the first days of spring than this Springtime Chicken and Dumplings recipe!

This is a lightly creamed chicken and dumpling soup & it’s absolutely loaded with tender pulled chicken & the best early spring produce – mild leeks, carrots, sweet peas, pearl onions, & bright lemon. The best part, though, is the generous amount of pillow-y tender homemade drop dumplings that simmer right in the soup. These dumplings are classic – made with plenty of butter for rich flavor! – but they get a springtime twist from loads of fresh herbs. 

This one-pot recipe is total springtime comfort food, ideal for a cozy, light & bright Sunday supper as the seasons start to change. Leftovers reheat beautifully for an easy lunch throughout the week – refer to the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
  • 2 leeks, thinly sliced & cleaned of all sand (~2 cups sliced white & green parts, can substitute with 1 diced large yellow onion)
  • 3 large carrots, peeled as desired & diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
  • 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
  • 48 ounces (6 cups) chicken stock or broth
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • one 12-ounce bag frozen pearl onions
  • one 12-ounce bag frozen sweet peas
  • 1/2 cup half & half
  • spring herb dumplings, below
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, dill)
  • kosher salt & ground black pepper, to seasonSpring chicken and dumplings ingredients arranged on a creamy white surface: leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, poultry seasoning, Bob's Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour, chicken stock, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pearl onions, sweet peas, half & half, lemon, chopped fresh herbs.

for the spring herb dumplings:

  • 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, dill)
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, grated
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup half & half
  • kosher salt & ground black pepper, to seasonSpring chicken and dumplings drop dumpling ingredients arranged on a creamy white surface: Bob's Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour, baking powder, fresh herbs, eggs, cold unsalted butter, half & half.

Instructions

  1. Cook the aromatics: Add the olive oil or butter to a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat. Once hot & shimmering, add the leeks, carrots, & celery, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic & poultry seasoning, stirring to combine, & cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.How to make homemade spring chicken and dumplings, step 1: cook the aromatics. Diced leeks, carrots, and celery seasoned with salt and pepper cook in a dark blue Staub tall cocotte until softened then garlic & poultry seasoning is added. The Staub cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  2. Build the soup & simmer: Dust the flour over the softened veggies, stirring to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until deeply browned. While scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that may have formed at the bottom of the skillet – that’s where the flavor is! Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the chicken to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Cover & simmer 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.How to make homemade spring chicken and dumplings, step 2: Build the soup & simmer. Chicken stock is added to the softened aromatics inside of a dark blue Staub tall cocotte to begin building a spring chicken and dumplings soup. The Staub cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  3. Prepare the dumpling dough: Meanwhile, as the soup simmers, prepare the dumpling dough. Add the flour, baking powder, & chopped fresh herbs to a medium bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter & use your hands to quickly mix, coating the butter pieces with the flour mixture. Form a well in the middle of the bowl for the wet ingredients. Add the beaten egg & half & half to the bowl. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until a thick, spongy dough forms. Do not overmix. Set aside.How to make homemade spring chicken and dumplings, step 3: Prepare the dumpling dough. Flour, baking powder, chopped fresh herbs, beaten egg, and cold grated butter are combined in a white ceramic bowl to make homemade drop dumplings for chicken and dumpling soup. A wooden spoon rests inside of the bowl and the bowl sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  4. Shred the chicken: Once it’s cooked through, remove the chicken from the pot & carefully shred. You can do so using 2 forks, or my favorite trick: pop them in a stand mixer & let the paddle attachment do the work for you (I swear this works!). Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the pearl onions, sweet peas, & half & half. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.How to make homemade spring chicken and dumplings, step 4: Shredded chicken, pearl onions, sweet peas, and half & half are added to spring chicken and dumplings inside of a dark blue Staub tall cocotte. The Staub cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  5. Simmer the dumplings: Using 2 small spoons, freeform the prepared herbed dumpling dough into tablespoon-sized dumplings, dropping the dumplings into the pot one by one (you could also use a tablespoon measure or small cookie scoop, just take care not to overwork the dough). Once all the dumplings have been added to the pot, cover & simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the dumplings are puffy & cooked through. Taste and season with additional salt or ground black pepper as desired.How to make homemade spring chicken and dumplings, step 5: Simmer the dumplings. Using 2 spoons prepared herbed dumpling dough is dropped into a dark blue Staub cocotte filled with spring chicken and dumpling soup. A small ceramic bowl filled with prepared dumpling dough sits alongside the cocotte and the cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  6. Serve: Finish the chicken and dumplings soup by stirring in the lemon juice & fresh herbs into the pot. Ladle the chicken and dumplings into individual bowls. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs or a spritz of fresh lemon juice, as desired. Enjoy!Finished homemade chicken and dumplings fill a dark blue Staub cocotte. The cocotte sits atop a creamy white textured surface.

Equipment

Notes

  • Ingredient notes:
    • How to clean leeks: Leeks are a springtime superstar! They’re like a very mild onion with a beautiful mellow & sweet allium flavor. If you’ve never worked with leeks, cleaning them requires a little more work than a standard onion since there’s often dirt & sand built up in their inner layers. Trim the root end & fibrous dark green tops. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, then slice each piece into thin half moons. Transfer the chopped leeks to a large bowl or colander. Rinse with cool water, using your hands to toss & shake off any debris. Once cleaned, pat the leeks dry with a towel & they’re ready to use.
    • Leek substitute: If you don’t have leeks on hand, feel free to swap them out in this recipe with 1 large yellow onion. 
    • Suggested fresh herbs: Given the spring theme of this particular chicken & dumplings recipe, I like to use spring herbs like parsley, chives, & dill. In my opinion, the best ratio for both the soup & the herbed dumplings is 2 parts parsley to 1 part each chives & dill (i.e. 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 2 tablespoons chopped dill). Feel free to tweak this ratio to suit your tastes. 
  • Storage & Freezing:
    • Storage & Reheating: Leftover chicken and dumplings will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little extra chicken stock or broth if the soup needs to loosen up a little. 
    • Freezing: I don’t suggest freezing leftover chicken and dumplings, as the texture of the dumplings changes as they freeze & thaw.
  • 15-Minute Meal Prep: The majority of the active time involved in this recipe is chopping veggies. Chop all the veggies in advance to get a head start on your chicken & dumplings. It takes about 15 minutes & at dinnertime you can jump right into cooking – easy! 
    • Trim & thinly slice 2 leeks. Place in a large bowl or strainer & rinse well to remove any sand or grit. Pat completely dry. Transfer to an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb any moisture. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active prep)
    • Dice 3 large carrots & 2 stalks of celery. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (5 minutes active prep)

Find it online: https://playswellwithbutter.com/spring-chicken-and-dumplings-soup/