Sourdough Discard Chicken and Dumplings
The ultimate comfort food, this sourdough discard chicken and dumplings recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight meal when you are short on time, but want a delicious hearty meal. So simple any one can make it, this dish includes instructions for both sourdough dumplings and regular dumplings, so even if you haven't started your own sourdough journey yet, you can still enjoy this dish too!
Equipment
- 1 Large soup pot or stock pot
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots about 3 medium, diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3/4 cup celery about 3 stalks, diced
- 2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
Biscuit Dumpling Dough:
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup cold butter cubed
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
Instructions
How to Make the Soup:
- In a large soup pot add diced vegetables, chicken broth, cream, herbs and seasonings and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the soup begins to boil, remove 1/2 cup of broth from the pot and mix with 2 tablelspoons of flour to create a slurry. Add the slurry back to the soup pot to thicken the soup. This step is completely optional and up to your personal preference.
- Add cooked, shredded chicken to the soup and simmer on low heat while you make the dumplings, stirring occasionally.
How to Make Sourdough Dumplings:
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the dumpling dough. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder thoroughly to combine.
- Add in the cubed cold butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Work quickly to keep the butter cold.
- Add in 1/2 cup of sourdough discard and milk and use a danish dough hook or wooden spoon to combine with the crumb mixture. Do not over mix.
How to Cook the Dumplings in the Soup:
- Turn the heat back up to medium and bring the soup back to a boil.
- Once the soup begins to boil, use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dumpling dough onto the boiling soup. I like to make my dumplings with about a tablespoon of dough in each scoop. If you make larger dumplings you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Reduce the soup to a low boil and allow to cook 10 minutes uncovered.
- Cover the pot and allow the dumplings to cook 10 more minutes or until fluffy and cooked through.
- Serve warm, garnish with additional herbs such as parsley if desired.
Notes
The best part of this dumpling recipe is how easy it is to adapt it to your family's taste!
Add different vegetables such as: corn, peas, or green beans to make it more like a chicken pot pie soup.
Use different parts of the chicken instead of chicken breasts for more chicken flavor. Opt for dark meat such as skinless chicken thighs or combine both white and dark meat for even more flavor.
For an even creamier, thicker soup opt for heavy cream instead of half and half.
Add additional herbs and spices such as rosemary to add more flavor to the soup.