Best Chicken Dumpling And Chrysanthemum Leaf Soup Recipes

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.

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.

CHICKEN DUMPLING AND CHRYSANTHEMUM LEAF SOUP

Steps:

• Using your fingers, strip off the leaves and snap off the tender tops of each chrysanthemum stem. Discard the stems along with any discolored leaves and small buds. There should be about 3 cups packed leaves. Rinse the leaves well to remove any grit and drain in a colander. Cut the leaves into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
• In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until fragrant and soft. Add the water and salt, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Use 2 teaspoons or demitasse spoons to shape the dumplings. Scoop up a smallish mound of the paste with 1 spoon. (The dumplings nearly double in size, so you don't want to start with a huge spoonful of paste.) Pass the mound back and forth from 1 spoon to the other, forming it into a relatively smooth round or football shape. When you're satisfied, use the second spoon to push the dumpling gently off the spoon into the simmering broth.
• After the dumplings float to the surface of the broth, let them simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Taste and season with up to 1 tablespoon fish sauce; how much you use depends on the saltiness of the meat paste. If you are not serving the soup right away, turn off the heat and cover.
• Just before serving, return the soup to a simmer and add the chrysanthemum leaves. When they wilt and turn deep green, after about 1 minute, turn off the heat. Taste and add extra salt or fish sauce, if necessary. Ladle into a serving bowl and sprinkle with lots of black pepper. Serve immediately.