Sourdough Chicken And Dumplings are the ultimate comfort food. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the sourdough dumplings are light and soft, not to mention they are a breeze to whip up. You can even use pre-cooked chicken breasts to save some time and energy. Prep everything in advance and enjoy a delicious dinner in no time.
Truth be told, prior to creating this recipe, I had never tried chicken and dumplings before! Since moving to Texas I've been experimenting with more "southern" recipes, and chicken and dumplings are one of my husband's favorite soups!
It took me a few attempts, (and by few, I mean five to six) until I was pleased with how this dumpling soup turned out.
One of the key elements that sets this dish apart, is the sourdough dumplings themselves. Thanks to the sourdough starter, the dumplings achieve a perfect balance of softness and structure.
If you love a warm bowl of comforting soup, check out my Dutch Oven Pot Roast, Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup, Easy Lasagna Soup, or Creamy Tortellini Soup.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Full of Flavor: The broth is packed with a mixture of herbs, rich broth, and pillowy dumplings.
- Cozy and Comforting: I can't think of many things better than a big bowl of broth and homemade dumplings during the cooler months of the year. It's a hearty meal that the whole family will enjoy.
- Versatile: You can customize the flavors to suit your taste - add different herbs, experiment with different broths, or even try whole wheat flour in the dumplings.
Ingredients
For The Dumplings
- Sourdough Starter: You will want to use an active starter. If you are new to the world of sourdough bread, fear not - creating your own starter is easier than you might think.
- Flour: Regular organic all-purpose flour or organic bread flour.
- Sea Salt
- Honey: Raw organic honey
- Milk: Full-fat grass-fed milk is higher in omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory), and other key nutrients.
- Dried Herbs: Use your favorite dried herbs, chives, parsley, oregano or thyme would work well.
For The Sourdough Chicken And Dumplings Soup
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion: If you only have a white onion that will be fine.
- Carrot
- Celery
- Garlic: You can leave garlic out if it's not your thing, but it does add a lot of flavor.
- Aromatics: Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Dill, and Sage are my favorites. You can certainly get creative here by using any combination of the fresh herbs already mentioned; or adding in a couple of bay leaves. Don't skimp on the herbs, as they add so much flavor to the soup.
- Chicken Broth: Store-bought or Homemade Bone Broth.
- Chicken: Organic free-range chicken breast or skinless chicken thighs are ideal. For this soup, I use chicken from my Smoked Whole Chicken recipe or my Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken but you can use rotisserie chicken or any leftover homemade chicken you have on hand.
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- No Sourdough, No Problem: If you don't have a sourdough starter discard you can still use this recipe to make the dumpling dough. You will just need to add more milk to the regular dumplings and skip the fermentation process.
- Spicy: Try adding chili pepper flakes, it's a great way to give the dumpling soup a little kick!
- Swap The Chicken: If you don't like chicken you can add diced smoked ham or turkey instead.
- Mix Up The Herbs: Try mixing up this comforting meal by adding different herbs. You can add a bay leaf into the soup base, or top the soup with some fresh parsley or chives.
How To Make Homemade Sourdough Dumplings
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
The night before you want to make the soup, prepare your dumplings. You can also prepare the dumpling dough in the morning, but the fermenting time will be shorter.
Step 1. Add your active sourdough starter, flour, sea salt, honey, and whole milk to a medium bowl. Mix with a spatula until combined, and form the dough into a ball.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough ball to ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
Step 2. Add 1 teaspoon of dried herbs to your dumpling dough and combine. Roll your dumplings into small balls (roughly 1 tsp) and set aside. The dough will make about 30 dumplings.
Step 3. To a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and chopped celery stalks. Saute for 7-10 minutes until soft.
Step 4. Add the garlic and aromatics to the large pot and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Step 5. Reduce the heat to a low boil, and add the dumpling balls on top of the soup. Cover the large soup pot with the lid, allowing the sourdough dumplings to steam for 15 minutes.
Step 6. Add the shredded chicken breast and stir to combine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes allowing the chicken to warm through.
Expert Tip
It's important to let the sourdough dumplings gently steam in the soup. Be sure to set your burner to low and cover your Dutch oven with a lid. No peeking!
How To Serve Sourdough Discard Dumplings
Serve the chicken and sourdough dumpling soup in a large bowl and pair it with any of the following:
- Salad
- Sourdough Bread
- Roasted Veggies
- Gluten-Free Crackers
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat the dumpling soup over medium low heat. You will likely need to add more of the good bone broth to the soup as the dumplings tend to absorb it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare the dumplings ahead and refrigerate them. However, for the best texture, I recommend cooking them just before serving.
You can certainly use pre-cooked chicken. Grab a rotisserie chicken from the store, o user any leftover chicken you have in your fridge.
While the chicken soup freezes well, the dumplings may lose their texture when thawed. It's best to freeze the components separately and combine them when reheating.
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Sourdough Chicken And Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 large Yellow Onion diced
- 3 Carrots sliced
- 3 stalks Celery sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Fresh herbs oregano, thyme, sage
- 32 oz Chicken Broth
- 8-10 oz Chicken shredded
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt Start with ¼ and adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
For the sourdough dumplings
- 145 grams Sourdough Starter active
- 145 grams Flour
- 6 grams Sea Salt
- 13 grams Honey
- 65 grams Milk
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs chives, parsley or oregano
Instructions
For the sourdough dumplings
- Add your active sourdough starter, flour, sea salt, honey, and whole milk to a medium bowl. Mix with a spatula until combined, and form the dough into a ball.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough ball to ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
For the soup
- To a medium Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and chopped celery stalks. Saute for 7-10 minutes until soft.
- Add 1 teaspoon of dried herbs to your dumpling dough and combine. Roll your dumplings into small balls (roughly 1 tsp) and set aside. The dough will make about 30 dumplings.
- Add the garlic and aromatics to the Dutch oven and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Pour in the bone broth and bring to a low boil.
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and add the dumpling balls on top of the soup. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid, allowing the sourdough dumplings to steam for 15 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken breast and stir to combine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes allowing the chicken to warm through.
Lori says
The soup was delicious, but the dumplings came out like doughy balls, not fluffy at all. I used the same starter for pizza dough and a loaf of bread - both came out great. I let the dough sit for 12 hours. Maybe it needed to sit longer?
Nadia Shatila says
Hey Lori - That's a bummer. I would try making the balls smaller and also cooking them longer if they are a bit doughy.