Spring Chicken and Dumplings

a white bowl filled with chicken soup and herb dumplings, asparagus, peas and leeks.

5 from 2 votes

A fresh spring twist on the classic Chicken and Dumplings. This version is full of seasonal spring vegetables like asparagus, leeks and peas as well as light and fluffy dumplings speckled with fresh chives, dill and parsley. This one pot wonder is comforting, nourishing and full of flavor!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 743kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

Soup

3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 large leek white and light green parts only, roughly chopped and washed well
4 cloves garlic minced or grated
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground fennel
4 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups chicken stock
2 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken breast legs and thighs also work–feel free to use a combination of both
1 bunch asparagus cut into 2-inch pieces, woody ends discarded,
1/2 c frozen peas
1 zucchini diced

Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 large egg
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter diced
1/2 c chopped dill, parsley and chive roughly equal parts of each
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so as not to brown. Next add in the ground coriander, fennel, thyme and a big pinch of salt.
Add chicken breast and chicken broth to the pot then bring to boil; reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool before shredding into bite-size pieces, discarding bones and skin.
While the chicken is cooking make the dumpling dough. Note: dumpling dough is very similar to biscuit dough. It can be made in a food processor, stand mixer or by hand. I'm going to walk you through the by hand version but if you prefer you can absolutley use a food processor or stand mixer.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg and buttermilk, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper. Next, add the butter to the flour and using either your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into dough until it resembles coarse sand.
Pour the buttermilk mixture it into the flour mixture. Add in the chopped herbs and then fold everything together until just combined. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Place the dumpling dough in the refridgerator, covered until you're ready to make the dumplings.
Add the shredded chicken back into the pot with the broth then add in the peas, asparagus and zucchini. Taste and season with more salt or pepper as needed. Bring the soup back up to a simmer then with two spoons or a small cookie scoop drop heaping spoonfuls of dough ( about the size of a golf ball) into the broth.
Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and doubled in size, about 12 minutes. Serve with extra chopped parsley, chives and dill and lots of cracked black pepper.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Chicken: Breasts, legs and thighs are all suitable for this recipe. You can even use a rotisserie chicken if you want to save some time.
Vegetables: I wrote the recipe to include leeks, asparagus, frozen peas and zucchini. That being said you can certainly add any seasonal veggies you like such as carrots, fava beans, kale, broccoli, fennel, snap peas potatoes etc.

Storing and Re-heating Leftovers:

Dumplings bloat! It's best to separate the dumplings and veggies from the soup, then store them separately. Everything will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in a sauce pan on the stove top or in the microwave.

Nutrition