Quick Chicken and Dumplings
This is the perfect soup for when you’re craving chicken and dumplings, but not quite up to the task of making the traditional dish. Store-bought rotisserie chicken and gnocchi live their best lives here, simmered in a comforting broth of chicken stock and heavy cream seasoned with rosemary and thyme. Leeks, carrots and celery are standard, but butternut squash, parsnips, mushrooms, fennel or shallots are worthy additions. Simply sauté your aromatics and vegetables, simmer with some chicken stock and cream, stir in the chicken and gnocchi, and dinner is done in 20 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium carrots or 8 ounces butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)(we like more than 2 carrots)
- 1 medium leek trimmed, white and pale green portion halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
(we like more leeks than this)
- 2 medium celery stalks peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick (about 2/3 cup)
(we like more celery than this)
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning optional
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken stock (we used 4 cups)
- 1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- 1 16-ounce package fresh or shelf-stable store-bought gnocchi
- ½ small 3-pound store-bought rotisserie chicken skin and bones discarded, meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups shredded meat)(we used an entire chicken)
- Fresh tarragon parsley or dill, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium. Add the carrots, leek, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme and poultry seasoning, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the flour, then cook, stirring, 2 minutes. (This cooks the flour to soften its raw flavor.) Gradually stir in the stock and cream, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the mixture boils, stir in the gnocchi, reduce the heat to medium and cook until gnocchi and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken in the last couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and top with fresh tarragon and more black pepper, if desired.
Notes
This recipe is very flexible in regards to the amount of vegetables to use, and no doubt you could choose additional or alternative vegetables.
The way we make this dish, it’s more like a stew than a soup, and we have eaten it as a main course.