Turn your leftover roast chicken into a comforting dish that the whole family will enjoy! This Easy Leftover Chicken and Dumpling Soup is hearty and delicious, made with everyday ingredients that add layers of flavour and goodness. The soup is creamy and thick, while the dumplings are pillowy soft and light. A great comfort food recipe for the cold season ahead!
Chicken soup has always been the kind of dish we turn to whenever we feel under the weather, or we are looking for something comforting and heart-warming on a chilly day.
Across many cultures, chicken soup is a classic that cannot be beaten, and it's a family-favourite with us too. Whether you choose a clear chicken soup with vegetables to enjoy with some crusty bread or you go for chicken and noodle soup, you know your dinner will be incredible.
This chicken soup with dumplings is as comforting as the other soups mentioned, but it has a slightly different texture. It's a thick, creamy soup that resembles more a stew in texture, and the fluffy dumplings turn it into a complete dinner that has everything we need: meat, protein and carbs.
It's wonderfully hearty and warming, the kind of food you dream of when you are looking for comfort in a steaming hot bowl of nourishing food. And it's so easy to make, the ideal midweek family dinner.
It's also a quick dish to put on the table, the leftover chicken speeds up the cooking time so much! If you don't have any leftover roast chicken from your Sunday dinner, you can also use rotisserie chicken.
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Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
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Ingredients overview - the soup
- leftover chicken - I shredded it, but it can also be chopped into cubes, whatever works for you
- onion - I used a regular yellow onion, but red onion or shallots would also work
- garlic - you can never go wrong with garlic in soups!
- red pepper - for a splash of colour and more goodness, you can also go for other colours
- celery & carrot- add a good crunch to the soup
- butter - I used it to fry the onion in, you can use oil if you wish, the butter makes it a bit richer
- stock - or broth, you can use homemade stock if you wish, otherwise go for the best possible quality you can find, it will make all the difference
- dried herbs - I chose dried Italian herbs, but you can add any other herbs of your choice
- fresh parsley - great for garnishing, it adds a lovely colour and more flavour
- milk - for a creamy touch
- flour - to thicken the soup, you can omit it if you wish
Ingredients overview - the dumplings
- flour - I used plain flour, self-raising can also work, with no need to add baking powder
- baking powder - helps achieve a soft, fluffy texture
- milk - for a rich, creamy touch
- butter - I used salted butter an added more salt too
Easy swaps
Flour dumplings are incredibly delicious, and perfect in soups and stews ( I used a different recipe in my Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings). You can also go for semolina dumplings, they are as fluffy and soft, you can check out my Chicken Soup with Semolina Dumplings for step-by-step instructions.
You can use any other vegetables for this soup, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin or butternut squash or an autumnal touch, as well as leeks, brussels sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower.
The milk can be replaced with single cream (or half-half in the US), evaporated milk, sour cream or creme fraiche. You might need to temper the sour cream and creme fraiche first, so they don't curdle.
Leftover chicken can be swapped for leftover turkey if you have lots left after feasts like Thanksgiving and Christmas, it will work just as well.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a large pan, melt the butter, add the peeled and chopped onion, season it with salt and pepper, and fry it until golden
- add the peeled and chopped carrot, pepper, celery and garlic, and sautee them for 3-4 minutes
- add the flour and shredded chicken, and mix well, then pour over the stock and milk
- place a lid on the pan, and leave it to cook until the veggies are tender
- meanwhile, make the dumplings
- sift the flour in a mixing bowl, add the baking powder, salt and butter cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub them together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
- add the milk and use a spatula to mix everything into a batter
- leave it aside for 5 minutes, it will thicken further and have a light texture
- once the veggies are tender, add the dried herbs, season with salt and pepper, then use 2 tablespoons to drop dollops of batter into the soup, I got 9 dumplings, but you can get more or less depending on their size
- place the lid back on and leave it to cook undisturbed until the dumplings are cooked through and fluffy, that could take 10-15 minutes
- garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot
Expert tips
Measure out the flour correctly, too much flour will result in tough dumplings. Once cooked, the dumplings should double their size and have a very light texture.
On the other hand, not enough flour will make the batter too thin, and the dumplings will not hold their shape in the pan.
If you don't like a thick soup, you can add more broth to the soup. I wouldn't increase the amount of milk too much, while this adds richness and creaminess to the soup, we don't want it to be too milky.
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Easy Leftover Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 750 ml chicken stock (broth, 3 cups)
- 85 ml milk (⅓ cup)
- 30 g butter (2 tbsp)
- 300 g leftover chicken, shredded (2 cups)
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
For the dumplings
- 190 g self-raising flour ( 1 ½ cup)
- 45 g cold butter (3 tbsp)
- 170 ml milk (⅔ cup)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
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Instructions
- To make the soup, melt the butter in a large pan, add the peeled and chopped onion with a pinch of salt and pepper, and fry it until golden.
- Add the peeled and chopped garlic, carrot, chopped celery and pepper, and sautee them for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix well, then in goes the shredded chicken.
- Pour over the milk and stock, and place a lid on the pan.
- Leave it to cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes until the veggies are tender.
- Meanwhile, make the dumplings.
- Add the sifted flour to a bowl together with the baking powder, salt and the butter cut into cubes.
- Use your fingertips to rub everything together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the milk, and use a spatula or spoon to mix until it forms a batter.
- Set it aside for 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Once the veggies are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper, add the herbs, and use 2 tablespoons to drop dollops of batter into the soup, I ended up with 9 dumplings.
- Place the lid back on, and leave the dumplings to cook undisturbed for 10-15 minutes until they double their size and have a light fluffy texture.
- Garnish with freshly-chopped parsley and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Measure out the flour correctly, too much flour will result in tough dumplings. Once cooked, the dumplings should double their size and have a very light texture.
- On the other hand, not enough flour will make the batter too thin, and the dumplings will not hold their shape in the pan.
- If you don't like a thick soup, you can add more broth to the soup. I wouldn't increase the amount of milk too much, while this adds richness and creaminess to the soup, we don't want it to be too milky.
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