OLIVE OIL OR UNSALTED BUTTER LEEKS CARROTS CELERY GARLIC DRIED POULTRY SEASONING ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR CHICKEN STOCK CHICKEN BREASTS OR THIGHS PEARL ONIONS SWEET PEAS HALF & HALF LEMONS CHOPPED FRESH HERBS S&P BAKING POWDER EGG
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.
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. 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.
Meanwhile, as the soup simmers, prepare the dumpling dough. Add the flour, baking powder, & chopped fresh herbs to a medium bowl. Season with S&P 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.
Once it’s cooked through, remove the chicken from the pot & carefully shred. 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.
Using 2 small spoons, freeform the prepared herbed dumpling dough into tablespoon-sized dumplings, dropping the dumplings into the pot one by one. 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 S&P as desired.
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.