Best Chicken And Dumpling Soup Richard Simmons Recipes

GRANDMA'S CHICKEN 'N' DUMPLING SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken, water, bouillon, peppercorns and cloves in a stockpot. Cover and bring to a boil; skim foam. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Strain broth; return to stockpot. , Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and skin and cut chicken into chunks. Cool broth and skim off fat. , Return chicken to stockpot with soups, vegetables and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Uncover; increase heat to a gentle boil. Discard bay leaf., For dumplings, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in egg, butter and enough milk to make a moist stiff batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls into soup. Cover and cook without lifting the lid for 18-20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

CAST-IRON CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
• For the chicken and vegetable base: Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over direct heat. Melt the butter. Add the carrots, onions and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, coating the vegetables, and continue to cook for another minute. Whisk in the chicken stock, smoothing out any flour lumps. Simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dumplings: Melt the butter with the jalapeno if using and lime juice in a sauce pot over indirect heat, then let cool.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, celery seeds, salt and lime zest in a large bowl. Mix in the cheese.
• Slowly pour the melted butter mixture into the cold cream in a small bowl and mix together using a fork. (The butter will bead up as you mix.) Pour the butter-cream mixture into the flour mixture and bring together into a soft dough. Set aside.
• Finish the chicken and vegetable base: Add the chicken, peas and parsley to the skillet with the vegetables. Move the skillet over indirect heat and scoop the biscuit mixture on top, covering the surface of the pan. Cover the grill and cook until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• (Alternatively, you can make the sauce and melt the butter mixture on a stovetop, then bake the biscuits in a 375 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.)

CHICKEN AND DUMPLING SOUP

Steps:

• For the soup stock: Combine the chicken, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, carrot chunks, celery chunks, quartered onion, parsnip chunks, 3 sprigs dill and 3 sprigs parsley in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches (about 5 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, for at least 1 1/2 hours (or up to 2 hours if you have the time. The longer the better!) Add more water, as needed, skimming off scum (there won't be much) and, if desired, some fat.
• Carefully strain the stock, discarding everything except for the chicken. (You should have 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 quarts of stock.) Set the chicken aside to cool briefly while you put together the rest of the soup. Return the strained stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the sliced carrot, sliced celery, chopped onion, sliced parsnip, chopped dill, chopped parsley and the salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings: In a small saucepan, bring the butter and 3/4 cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Let cool for a few minutes so it's not so hot that it will cook the eggs, then whisk in the salt, sugar, nutmeg and the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated into a slightly lumpy thick batter. (It'll take a little work to whisk in the eggs.)
• Drop heaping teaspoons of the dumpling mixture into the simmering soup, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the dumplings are cooked through; begin checking for doneness at 15 minutes.
• Pull the chicken meat off the bones and chop into bite-sized pieces. Season it with salt, then add it to the soup along with the ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt as needed. This is important: The amount of salt in a chicken soup can mean the difference between unappetizing chicken tea and the elixir of bubble love that it should be. So don't skip this step, and don't rush it, either. Taste your soup, and if it doesn't make you smile reflexively, add more salt, about a 1/2 teaspoon of it, and give it a few good stirs so it can dissolve. Taste and repeat, as needed, until it tastes good.
• Serve, garnishing with fresh parsley.

LOW CALORIE YET DELICIOUS CHICKEN AND BABY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• This recipe calls for poached chicken breasts, but I like to put 3 cups of water on the stove to simmer, and add my chicken to cook while I mix and chop everything else. Add salt, pepper, and anything else you like if you would like to use this simmering liquid as your chicken stock later. Otherwise, quickly poach the chicken and use the canned stock.
• While the chicken is cooking (and don't overdo it -- it's better to leave it slightly undercooked rather than overcooked at this stage). Prepare all of your veggies.chopping, quartering, etc.
• By the time the chopping is done, the chicken should be ready to come out of the pot (15 minutes or so -- I am a slow chopper though). Take it out and let it cool while proceed to the next step.
• Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup chicken stock. Add the liquid slowly to avoid lumps.
• Heat 2-1/2 cups chicken stock, if it isn't hot already. Add all your chopped veggies and cover. Keep on medium heat.
• While the veggies are cooking a bit, start pulling your chicken breasts (or thighs) apart. It should be in chunky shreds when you are done with it. Discard any bones.
• Stir in the flour/stock mixture to the pot of broth and veggies. It will start to thicken.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour with baking powder, parsley, poultry seasoning, and milk. Stir just enough to moisten.(Keep in mind, you can do this step at any point in the recipe. I do what ever it takes to save time).
• Add the chicken shreds to the stock.
• Use a wet teaspoon and scoop up little bits of the dough you made in step 9. Drop them gently into the simmering broth. Reduce heat, cover tightly, and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes. The little dough balls will puff up significantly during cooking.
• **Right before I serve this, I like to sprinkle generously with black pepper, but the original recipe doesn't call for this.

THE BEST CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan., Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until blended. Gradually add stock, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear., For dumplings, in a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside., Remove chicken from stockpot; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Cook, covered, on high until mixture reaches a simmer., Drop dumplings on top of simmering soup, a few at a time. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Gently stir in cream, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.