Chicken and Dumpling Soup
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Here’s an easy and hearty chicken and dumpling soup that will win you over. It calls for very simple, healthy ingredients and will make you think of your Mom. The dumplings are soft and satisfying. This soup is quick to make and if you’re really pressed for time, it will still turn out delicious if you sub the dumplings with pasta, but the dumplings really aren’t very difficult to make. Craving – satisfied :).
Ingredients for Dumpling Soup Base:
2 sticks of celery, finely diced
1 small/medium onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth + 6 cups water
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
3-4 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (1 large chicken breast), diced
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Chopped Dill and/or 2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley (I used both)
Ingredients for the Dumplings:
2 cups flour, sifted
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) melted Butter
How to Make Chicken and Dumpling Soup:
1. In a 5 Qt soup pot, over medium heat, add 3 Tbsp olive oil and saute 2 sticks diced celery and small finely diced onion until softened (5 min). Add thinly sliced carrots and continue to cook until onions and celery are golden (3-4 min).
2. Into the same pot, pour in 6 cups chicken broth and 6 cups water along with 1 Tbsp salt and all of your chopped potatoes. Bring to a boil then cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are nearly done.
3. Meanwhile, make your dumplings: Sift 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar into a medium bowl. P.S. I measured 2 cups flour before sifting – scoop it into the measuring cup, then scrape off the top for an accurate measurement. Make a well in the center and add 2 eggs with 1 Tbsp sour cream. Fold together with a spatula. Your dough will look like scraps of cloth. Pour in 6 Tbsp melted butter and stir/ knead with spatula until butter is well incorporated and dough is uniform in texture and color. It should be very soft but won’t stick to your hands.
4. Transfer dough to a smooth cutting board. Separate your dough into two pieces, roll each piece into a long slim log and cut thin slices from each log. Don’t cut them too big since they expand in the soup. You want them to be small and bite-sized. The dough should not stick to the knife or cutting board because of all the butter in it.
5. After boiling potatoes about 10 minutes, keep the pot at a boil and add 2 bay leaves, diced chicken and prepared dumplings. Continue boiling over medium/low heat another 10 minutes or until dumplings are tender and chicken is cooked through.
6. Season to taste – I added about 1/2 tsp more of salt. Stir in your fresh dill or parsley (or both) and remove from heat.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of celery, finely diced
- 1 small/medium onion, finely diced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth + 6 cups water
- 1 Tbsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
- 3-4 medium potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 large chicken breast, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Dill and/or 2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley, I used both
Instructions
- In a 5 Qt soup pot, over medium heat, add 3 Tbsp olive oil and saute 2 sticks diced celery and small finely diced onion until softened (5 min). Add thinly sliced carrots and continue to cook until onions and celery are golden (3-4 min).
- Into the same pot, pour in 6 cups chicken broth and 6 cups water along with 1 Tbsp salt and all of your chopped potatoes. Bring to a boil then cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are nearly done.
- Meanwhile, make your dumplings: Sift 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar into a medium bowl. P.S. I measured 2 cups flour before sifting - scoop it into the measuring cup, then scrape off the top for an accurate measurement. Make a well in the center and add 2 eggs with 1 Tbsp sour cream. Fold together with a spatula. Your dough will look like scraps of cloth. Pour in 6 Tbsp melted butter and stir/ knead with spatula until butter is well incorporated and dough is uniform in texture and color. It should be very soft but won't stick to your hands.
- Transfer dough to a smooth cutting board. Separate your dough into two pieces, roll each piece into a long slim log and cut thin slices from each log. Don't cut them too big since they expand in the soup. You want them to be small and bite-sized. The dough should not stick to the knife or cutting board because of all the butter in it.
- After boiling potatoes about 10 minutes, keep the pot at a boil and add 2 bay leaves, diced chicken and prepared dumplings. Continue boiling over medium/low heat another 10 minutes or until dumplings are tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Season to taste - I added about 1/2 tsp more of salt. Stir in your fresh dill or parsley (or both) and remove from heat.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi! Quick question for ya,, how much bouillon do you need for the recipe? I’m all out of chicken broth but do have bouillon. Thank you 😊
Hi Shannon. I’m not quite sure on the exact amount. You may have to just add it to taste. I hope you love the recipe!
My dumplings did not cook through for some reason….any ideas why?
Hi Lauren! It could be that they needed to boil a little while longer. Depending on the size, they could take longer. You’ll want to boil them until they are tender. Also, be sure to measure your ingredients correctly, using too much flour can result in this. I’ve attached my tutorial on how to measure ingredients here for reference. I hope that helps.
Mine turned out pretty good, the only thing I would change is not boiling the potatoes quite as long. They got a bit mushy after the 20 minutes total of boiling them. The dumplings turned out fantastic. To anyone who is confused about the dumplings- they are closer to “Southern style” dumplings than the biscuit-y northern ones.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Rebecca!
I made the soup today in between my meetings at home and it turned out amazing. I used rotisserie chicken breast for my chicken and the dumplings, which was my first time making by myself, were amazing. I used kitchen aid mixer because i was lazy but ended up taking it out and needing to firm up and kneed it in the end. Anyway, wouldn’t change anything – I just added double parsley and dill for the extra auromas. Thank you Natashen’ka!!!
You are very welcome! Thank you for sharing with us. So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This soup was great. I never made dumplings and they turned out wonderful.
Great to hear that it turned out great, Dodie. Thank you for the review!
Do you cover the pot to cook the dumplings in your Chicken soup recipe?
Hi Roger, I cook them uncovered.
Can you just use a can of biscuits for the dumplings instead of trying to make them homemade?
Hi Kai, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
it might be helpful to have a picture of how small the log for the dumplings should be.
Hi Tammy, we have a photo of the small log listed under step 4 in the recipe post. See the bottom right photo for reference. I hope this helps.
Natasha we love this soup and make it all the time. It is one of our favorites, but would like to make the broth thicker. How can I do that?
Hi Sonia, check out the section about thickening stew in our beef stew recipe which may help.
I did have to doctor my dumplings a bit. They were crumbly. I added a dash or so of milk. Then they got sticky so I added another melted Tbsp of butter. Rolled them out but into thin slices and cut them in half for small dumplings and they were perfect! I used dried dill but fresh parsley. I brought this for camping in October and everyone loved it. Thank you for my now go-to recipe all my family loved
I’m so happy you all enjoyed this recipe!
Hi does this soup freeze well ?
Hi Brenda, I haven’t tested freezing this recipe to advise. If you happen to experiment I would love to know how you like that.
So easy. My husband handed me the recipe, and I cut it in half. Because I didn’t understand the dumplings, I sliced them pretty thick…. mistake. After reading the reviews online, and the recipe in full… I realized they truly needed to be sliced thin. Not your typical dumplings. I plan on making it again and slicing the dough thin (just like the recipe states). Oh…. and it tastes super yummy with a dollop of sour cream!
I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor of this recipe. Thanks for sharing that with us!
We literally make this recipe every few weeks because we crave it and it yields so much food! A real staple/go-to in our household. The only variation I’ve tried it subbing ricotta for sour cream, which was also VERY delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Savannah! Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
The soup itself is amazing but the dumplings are awful. They’re so dense and have a terrible texture.
Hi Madi, I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you change anything in proportions or make any substitutions?
I followed your dumpling recipe exactly, and mine came out grainy and taste like raw flour, after boiling them for 10 minutes. I’m going to try and boil them a bit longer, but so far, I have no idea why mine weren’t as I oressive as yours 😕
Hi Deborah! We are happy to troubleshoot, the dough is normally supposed to be very soft. It’s difficult to say without being there, but maybe the proportions of wet to dry ingredients were off when making the dumplings?
I am looking to try your recipe and was looking through the reviews, and saw one of your reviewers mentioned spaetzle. To let you know, it is German egg noodles/dumplings. The ingredients are very simple, AP flour, eggs, water/milk and salt and pepper. They are amazing, I mainly use them in a family recipe of potato soup, my kids had me start adding them to my other soups and stews. There are many recipes using spatzle, check them out, and make them your own, you won’t be sorry.
I will have to do that! Thank you for sharing that with me, Jane!! 🙂
Outstanding! Did not change a thing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Natasha
I love you recipes, they are wonderful. How can I just print the recipe ?
Hi Kathleen! Thank you for your sweet compliment! If you scroll towards the bottom of the recipe you will find a printable version highlighted in light orange color. I hope this helps!
Made this soup tonight it was so delicious, I had a problem with the dumplings tho… mine turned out kind of dry inside.. I cut them pretty small and cooked them for 15 minuets longer and they still didn’t cook through :/
Hi Lilian, the dough is normally supposed to be very soft. It’s difficult to say without being there, but maybe the proportions of wet to dry ingredients were off when making the dumplings?
Does this soup freeze well. I make homemade meals for my daughter at college and she loves homemade soup.
Hi Kori, I honestly have not tried freezing this soup so I’m not sure.
Omg this came out so delicious even when I substituted the dumplings for regular pasta. Favorite soup recipe from you by far!! Thank you Natasha!!
Thank you Zory! I’m so happy you enjoyed this! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Do you have a Babka or Paska bred recipe that can be made in a bread machine?
Hi Kathleen, I honestly have not tried that so I can’t say for sure. I think it’s worth experimenting though!
Delicious recipe! I recommend cutting the dumplings into nickel to quarter sized pieces. I made mine larger and had to boil for more than 20 minutes. I will definitely make this again, thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Sharon! Thanks for sharing your helpful review with other readers!
The dough a way too dry and after cook the dough so hard after i find out the mix dough ingredients too hard I already add 1/2 cup milk is still not good totally screw up my good turkey broth
Hi Dorothy, the dough is normally supposed to be very soft. It’s difficult to say without being there, but maybe the proportions of wet to dry ingredients were off when making the dumplings?
This soup is so simple with so much flavor! For some crazy reason I couldn’t find my salt so I used a little bit of tomatoe/chicken boullion to taste. What did it for me was the flavor of the dumplings! The sugar and sourcream really made them stand out. Very delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome Nicole! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Question – can you use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breast? If I do that should I increase the amount of broth and decrease the water?
Hi Emily, I think that should still work without changing anything else in the recipe.
So, this is the 2nd time I’ve made it, first time with chicken, and this time with ground turkey. I didn’t have chicken. I know, who doesn’t HAVE chicken?! Apparently, this lady. I made it to a T each time and it’s perfect. The flavor is wholesome, the spices are perfect, the dumplings are addicting! Thank you so much, this is a staple!
🙂 I’m so glad you love the recipe! Thank you for sharing that it works well with ground turkey!! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I loved the soup, and your directions are so easy to follow! My hubby loved it as well. Only one question- the dough would not cook for me inside. I boiled them for about 30 minutes and still no luck. Can that be because I cut them too thick or possibly didn’t mix the dough well enough? Help!! Lol
Hi Anna, after 30 minutes they should definitely be cooked through – the ingredients cook quickly once they hit boiling water. I suspect maybe they were cut too large if they looked undercooked inside.
I can’t believe I found this soup! This was my childhood FAVOURITE! And now my children’s favourite. Especially my adult daughter! I do the dough a little looser and flick spoonfuls straight from the bowl into boiling water. Once they are cooked, I transfer them into the soup so that the stock stays clear. Family FAV!!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear how much everyone loves this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
I had a friend, who has since passed away, who was of totally Hungarian descent. She told me that was the way her Hungarian grandma made her dumplings – flicking them off a spoon into the boiling water. I love eastern European food so much, I’m almost surprised that my DNA wasn’t a match to that area of the world! Can’t wait to try this soup. There’s a Polish restaurant nearby that has a yummy chicken and dumpling soup.
This soup looks really good. Just wondering if it could be frozen and reheated and not turn to mush?
Jackie, I never tried freezing it but imagine it would still be fine.
Natasha, this soup is soooooo good. Has great flavor, texture , enough ingredients to fill a hungry tummy. This soup has become my son’s very favorite dish. Period. I asked him what he would like me to cook for his birthday party, he sure asked for “chicken dumpling soup”, and I made it just for him. He ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner that day. Lol. I also wanted to leave you a note to tell you thank you for explaining so clearly and beautiful pictures to go along with it, makes cooking so much easier and enjoyable. Such great help to me and my husband. We now stopped searching pinterest for ideas, and go right to your site. go straight to your site.
Olga, I’m so happy to hear that my blog is a blessing to your family. Thank you so much for sharing that with me 😀.
soooo….
i made it the second time . the first time was abwhile ago and i didnt comment. but this time i wanted to)
so comforting, flavorful, classic russian soup) definitely childhood reminder)
Blessings, Natasha
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for sharing your great review 🙂
Delicious !
I just finished to cook the soup.
I like the dumpling and it’s really easy to make it.
I used vegetable broth and I add crushed pepper in my soup.
Thank you !!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you so much for your great recipes! I’ve always looked online for new things to cook, but after finding out about your website i have stopped my search and been only using your website ever since! Love how nicely you explain every detail, and the pictures are such a great help. I LOVE IT.
Regarding this soup, which was delicious by the way, i had to add more water because when i poured 6cups of chicken broth and 6 cups of water there was not enough space for all the ingredients…I’m not sure, maybe I just used a little more of what i needed but thought I’ll let you know.
Hi Sofie! thank you for that awesome feedback. It really means alot to me 🙂
I made your dumpling recipe to go along with my own soup. My family really liked them. I also enjoyed them but the texture wasn’t what I expected. They didn’t have as much body as they looked like they would. It might be because I usually make spaetzle and they have a chewiness that I was expecting in your recipe. As I said, they were good, but just didn’t have the consistency I look for in dumplings. Thank you for sharing your recipes. P.S. My 8 year old grandson ate three bowls.
I’m so glad to hear your family liked it! I’m curious to hear more about the dumplings you’re referring to!
I just cannot skip this and not to say Natasha thank you for the recipe. This soup is so amazing! I dreamed about it but couldnt think of how to make dough for damplings. Thank you!!! You blog is so helpful!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks Tanya 🙂
I love making this soup. My kids ask me to make it for them. Thats just music to my ears. Thank you for the great recipe.
That is awesome!! thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
Natasha this soup is not only delish, but also picky husband approved! Lol mine doesn’t like any additives in soups such as rice or pasta/noodles but he loved the dumplings. He said it reminded him of something his mom used to make from similar dumplings boiled in milk. They called it “затирка” or “затерка” (Russian). Must be a Belorussian thing because I’ve never heard of it.
Thank you for the great review Nata :). I just love when food bring back great memories from our childhood.
Natasha, great recipe! We all loved this soup! Thank you for your recipes!
Luda, thank you for the great review and you are welcome :).
Hello Natasha! Thank you for your recipes i enjoy baking and cooking from your website!!! i have a question regarding dumplings……my are kind of dry inside is that normal? When cooking they all floated to the surface… i don’t know maybe i did something wrong…. Thanks again
P.S. Super exited for you on having a little girl!!!!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy the blog. 🙂 Did you cut them large or small? They do have slightly have that kind of texture from the butter and it helps to cook them a little longer.
My family LOVED this soup. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for a great review 🙂
Natasha, dear) you are a blessing for me!
Your recipes are never a fail!
I made this soup today and fed my 4 children after school. My oldest girl, who is 7, said that it is so oooo good) and went for seconds while I was feeding my 2 year son)
thanks, Natash!
What a beautiful scene! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. You must be an amazing Mama! Four children – that is such a blessing! :).
I actually meant 5 stars. But couldn’t correct it afterwards. Thank you for your kind words)
Thank you Vika 🙂
is celery a must? I cannot stand the taste of it! bleh!
You can omit the celery. That’s why I chop it up small so once it’s cooked, you can hardly tell it’s in there, but it will still be good without it.
Hi! I’d like to try this soup but for me it’s not clear how many grams is one stick butter and how many grams/ml is one cup (of flour, broth etc.). I’m kinda new for American measures so for me a bit confusing.
Cheers, great blog!
It might take a little research on google and doing conversions before it starts feeling natural. I know it’s tough when you’re switching over to a completely different way of measuring. It will definitely help to get a scale that goes between grams and oz. I have the one from OXO and I use it all the time. It’s a good investment. 1 stick of butter is 113 grams. Flour is usually measured by volume rather than weight (spoon your flour into a flat top measuring cup and scrape off the top to measure 1 cup of flour). 6 cups broth = 48 mL = about 1.5 Liters. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, this looks good! I have a question – does this re-heat well the next day? My oldest daughter likes taking soups to school in a thermos so I’m wondering if the dumplings make it okay to day 2 and 3? thanks!
They were still fine on day 2 and 3 :). I hope your daughter loves it! 🙂
Oh, that’s perfect! Thank you, will definitely be trying this very soon :))
Great soup recipe Thank you.
Hi Natasha! The soup looks so warm and nice for upcoming winter. And it reminds me of my grandmother making Galushki. But her version was without chicken (I guess they just didn’t have it in their village in 1920-1930 dreadful years), the dough was without butter and she poured an egg into the soup, like in Chinese corn soup.
Do you have original Galushki recipe? I miss my Grandma..
It sounds like the dough for pelmeni and that would be really delicious. I don’t have any other galushki recipes posted yet. My mom does the same thing with adding egg to the soup; it’s so good!
Thanks for another great recipe!!! I’m looking for a good chicken gnocchi soup please help ;)!!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Marianna, I think this soup would work well using gnocchi instead of dumplings. Is that the kind of soup you had in mind? Or are you asking about homemade gnocchi recipe?
I want to make the olive gardens chicken gnocchi soup at home and was wondering if u are planning to post a recipe for it anytime soon? Just wondering! Thank you for everything!
I haven’t tried their version but I think I’ll order it next time I’m there and take it for a spin! Thanks Marianna 🙂
I so glad you posted this, i always seem to mess this one up. I know..how right but Im glad you did. so there.
Well, thanks Tanya! 🙂 I hope your little people like it!
I’m a novice cook so not sure if this is a silly question but is it possible to substitute something for the sour cream and butter in the dumplings? My son has a dairy allergy. 🙁
You could just use flour, egg and water until you have a soft and still sticky dough. It’s basically like making pasta. You could always just add your son’s favorite pasta and it would still taste great 🙂
Nothing better this time of year, absolutely love this!
Thanks Matt! I agree; it’s just the coziest time of year 🙂
Just finished cooking. We are going to have the best lunch!!!
Yum! Enjoy it!! 🙂
This may be a silly question, but by adding 6 cups of water to the broth, does that not really dilute the flavor of the broth?
You will still be adding chicken and vegetables so the broth will have plenty of flavor. It’s not a silly question :). You can use all broth if you want to just adjust for salt 🙂
Warm and fuzzy childhood memories for sure! I’ve had this soup made by my Russian grandma and my Ukrainian grandma. Ukraine wins. 😉 Thank you for the recipe, Natasha. I didn’t have one and now really want to make it for my kiddos.
I’m guessing you’re Ukrainian? ;). Me too! I’m not sure if this is technically a Russian or Ukrainian dish or if it originated in yet another country, but I do know; it’s good, and that’s what’s important :). Thanks Julia!
I am actually Russian but my mom was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to Russia for university. My grandma lived in Lviv where I also spent a big chunk of my childhood. 🙂 We still have family in both countries.
You have quite a history and you ended up in a completely part of Europe. Sounds like an adventurous life! 🙂
This soup looks so warm and comforting! I just want to curl up by a fire and eat this soup!! Perfection, Natasha, perfection!
Fuzzy feelings, just fuzzy feelings 😉 Thanks Lindsey!
This soup looks very delicious and looks like comfort food:) Thanks Natasha:) May God Bless you and your family, and especially you, throughout your pregnancy!You are one beautiful preggo lady:)love your recipes.
Veronica, thank you so much for all your kind words :). Blessings to you and your family as well.
It almost looks like a gnocchi soup, Love it!
Gnocchi soup will be more like soup with клёцки since they have potatoes incorporated in them, but either one is yummy :).
We called it “kletski” with no potatoes too 🙂 I wonder if it’s a regional thing 🙂
By the way, those rustic looking baby potatoes are the cutest!
It could be? I’ve seen it both ways too. I’m assuming you meant the carrots? Those came out of my mom’s yard. 🙂 Aren’t they sweet? I wish I had left the tales on them!
Umm… Yeah, the carrots ll