And I know, I have several recipes on this site for chicken soup. I got that. But darn, sometimes all I want is a bowl of chicken soup. (Plus, Mr. C. was still not quite over his cold. And everyone knows chicken soup cures colds.) And, sometimes, I want dumplings in my soup. Not because they are good for me, heck no, they are simply soul satisfying. They taste good, and they are made with flour. And I am addicted to flour and comfort food. And they are the very definition of comfort food.
I could give up sugar, I could give up chocolate, I could even give up meat. But the one thing I could not, and do not want to live without, is anything bread-like.
So, the next time you too need a comfort food fix, I suggest you make this soup with dumplings.
Well, Thanksgiving is over, and as much as I researched and thought I had come up with the perfect green bean casserole recipe, it turned out less than adequate. Too much onion flavor and not enough overall appeal. The presentation was fine, but the casserole itself lacked all the yummy that I remembered from canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup. How humbling to reflect on childhood memories of my mom’s green bean casseroles. Especially since my mom would never have been considered a good cook. Yet she made better green bean casseroles with canned beans, canned soup, grated cheap cheddar cheese, and French’s Onions than I produced with fresh and expensive ingredients! (Huh, and I consider myself some kind of cook.) But you know, it’s OK.
We all need to periodically be reminded that everything is not always going to go our way. And especially for those of us who cook, every dish is not going to be stellar. That periodically, we are going to try our best, and the result is not going to be nearly what we envisioned.
That’s when we need to keep on trying. Put our disappointment into perspective, and not wallow in self-pity which does no one any good and serves to stop us from allowing our creative side to blossom. Even if the result, as with this green bean mess, is a wilted blossom.
So, no I’m not going to share this disaster with you! But I am also not going to give up. There must be a way to make a green bean casserole that checks all the boxes. Great green bean flavor, a wonderful creamy, tasty sauce, with crispy onions on top.
But enough about green beans and on to this recipe.
The first thing that makes this recipe a bit different from my other chicken soup recipes is the roasting of chicken parts to enhance the flavor of the broth. And why I hadn’t thought to do this before, when I always roast chicken and/or turkey pieces when I make the stock for chicken or turkey dressing and gravy, is anyone’s guess!
But I must say, baking the chicken pieces to a crispy dark brown and scaping all the water softened brown bits off the baking pan and into the Dutch oven with the other liquids, really does make a difference in the overall flavor of the soup.
And some might wonder why I use regular chicken stock and chicken base, instead of all one or the other? As much as I like and use chicken base frequently, if I use it all by itself to make 8 cups of stock, the broth becomes way too salty. But most purchased stock or broth, doesn’t have enough flavor. Thus, the use of both.
Well, that’s it for today. I’ve started a new book, and so far, I have met two older women, neither of whom I would particularly want to call friends. But it’s early in the book, and I might have a change of heart.
But I have two other books that I finished and can write about. Ann Cleeves book entitled The Baby-Snatcher was most enjoyable. The second book, The Skull Beneath the Skin, by P. D. James, usually a wonderful writer, left me uncomfortable. I like to know that the bad guy (or gal) gets his/her comeuppance. And that doesn’t happen in this book. (In reality, yes of course everything isn’t always tidied up to my satisfaction. But in books, I want reality to be forgotten.) Plus, I found all but one of the characters to be dull, unlikable, and just too nasty or inhumane to be believable. Even the police officers were inadequately portrayed as completely unfeeling, unsympathetic, and basically bored. And I like my police officers to be bright, witty, charming, and engaged. (I know, I know! And I’m fine with being a pollyanna!)
And as such, from our home to yours, peace and love to all.
For the Soup:
2 lb. chicken parts (I used 3 boneless, skinless thighs, 1 large boneless, skinless breast, and 5 drumsticks)
1 tsp. veggie oil
seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 T. unsalted butter
1 lg. or two sm. shallots, finely chopped
2 lg. carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery (plus leaves), thinly sliced
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. dried thyme
8 c. chicken stock or broth
5-6 tsp. chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
¼ c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
Spread the chicken parts on a large, low-sided baking pan. Rub the oil all over the pieces and coat them liberally with seasoned salt and black pepper.
Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 1 hour or until the chicken or turkey is well browned. Give them a turn halfway through the baking process. Remove from the oven and place the meat on a plate to cool. Pour about 2 cups of water over the brown bits left on the baking pan and let sit for several minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the shallot, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock, chicken base, and the juices and browned bits from the roasting pan. (If you are using chicken legs, add them to the soup and let them cook for about 30 minutes, before removing them and letting them cool with the other chicken pieces.) (BTW, chicken drumstick meat is tender and very flavorful. So, using all drumsticks when making this or any other chicken soup is always acceptable.)
Bring the soup to a low simmer, cover the pot with a lid and simmer the soup for an hour or longer. Check periodically.
Once the roasted chicken pieces are cool, cut them into bite sized pieces and place them in the refrigerator until needed. Discard any bones or skin.
When the soup has simmered to perfection, add the diced chicken, taste the soup, and add additional salt or pepper if required. Stir in the parsley and green onions. Then add the dumpling batter as directed below.
For the Herb Dumplings:
1 egg
6 T. whole milk
2 T. veggie oil
1 c. all-purpose flour, fluffed
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 T. chopped fresh chives
1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp. dried thyme
In a bowl whisk the egg, milk, and oil together. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, chives, parsley, and thyme together. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture just until combined. Do not over-mix.
Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, drop dumpling balls into the stew. (The dumplings will double in size while they cook, so make them as big or small as you wish.)
Cook dumplings at a slow simmer for 10 minutes with pan uncovered. Then cover the pot and simmer for about 10 more minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through. (Make sure you don’t peek while the dumplings are cooking for the last 10 minutes. They need to steam in order to be nice and fluffy and lifting the lid will release the steam.)
To check if the dumplings are ready, use a toothpick to make sure the dumplings are cooked through. The toothpick will be clean if the dumplings are cooked enough. Then serve the soup immediately.