And here enters yet another delicious, mouthwatering hug in a bowl, a timely winter entrance for cold, cozy evenings. Honestly, when I was creating this recipe, the initial thought was to make a soup minus the cream. More like flavored chicken stock with dumplings. However, I am a sucker for cream in my soups. Every time. So of course when I discovered I had a pint of cream in the fridge, patiently waiting its turn to be used up in a recipe, I had to oblige. The dumpling mix is seasoned with some thyme and lots of Parmesan cheese, simmered until fluffy, airy and a bit chewy, giving this creamy chicken chowder a deeper flavor and bite.
Although there are a few steps involved in making this mouthwatering chowder, the final fantastic taste, silky smooth texture and scrumptious bite will make the process all worth it! With your hands wrapped around a warm bowl of this goodness, snuggle up with your favorite blanket and binge-watch a favorite Netflix show (mines is currently Blacklist)-your inner self will thank you.
Creamy Chicken Chowder with Parmesan Dumplings
Ingredients
For Chicken Stock
- 3 chicken breasts *boneless, skinless
- 2 tbsp olive oil *EVOO
- 1 cup carrots *shredded
- 1 cup celery *thinly sliced
- 2 shallots *thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper *freshly cracked
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 2 cups cream
- 1½ quarts vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp cornstarch *whisked with some soup base to form paste
For Dumplings
- 1½ cup all purpose flour *sifted
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese *shredded
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ tsp black pepper *freshly cracked
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
For Chicken Soup Base
- Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts and season with freshly cracked pepper and Kosher salt.
- Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO in a large stockpot on medium high heat. Place chicken breasts in pot and sear for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add sliced shallots and sauté with chicken for 5 minutes. Now add sliced celery and shredded carrots, mix well and continue to cook for 10 minutes, mixing as needed.
- Add vegetable stock and bring stock to a boil. Season with chicken bouillon cube, freshly cracked black pepper, sprinkle of Kosher salt (to taste) and add sprigs of thyme. Please be careful not to over salt as chicken bouillon cube also adds salt content.
- Cover stockpot, turn heat to low and simmer soup for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, as needed.
For Dumplings
- While soup is simmering, make dumplings. In mixing bowl, sift flour, add fresh thyme leaves, freshly cracked black pepper and baking powder. Mix to combine. Add Parmesan cheese, toss, gradually add buttermilk and mix to form soft dough.
- Uncover stockpot, carefully remove chicken breasts, cover with foil and set aside. Turn heat to medium high and bring soup to a boil. While soup is boiling, add spoonfuls of dumpling mix (tablespoon is good, about 7 dumplings at a time) and cook for 10 minutes uncovered, then cover pot, turn heat to medium low and cook for another 5-7 minutes until dumplings are cooked through. Cook dumplings in batches and remove cooked dumplings onto a plate using a slotted spoon. Shred cooled chicken into large chunks or cut into bite-sized pieces, to your liking.
For Thickening Soup
- After all dumplings have been removed, take two 2 ladles of simmering soup and pour into a glass measuring cup/bowl and mix with cornstarch, whisk well. With heat on medium high, bring to boil and then gradually add this cornstarch mixture back to stockpot, constantly stirring until soup thickens, approximately 7-10 minutes. Now add cream, bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and cook for a final 10 minutes. Carefully add shredded chicken chunks and dumplings back into chowder and heat through.
- Warming, soothing and so delicious, Creamy Chicken Chowder with Parmesan Dumplings is now ready to serve. One bite of this hearty, wholesome chowder, and this recipe will be on repeat this winter! Enjoy! Nosh Farma'aiye.