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Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings

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Growing up in the Monterey Bay region of California means I had never ever eaten chicken and dumplings!

I’m not ashamed of this fact as the recipe is regional to the South, and California cuisine rarely takes its cues from traditional North American cooking. But now that I’ve tried it, I do know what I was missing out on all this time.

Long Pinterest image showing bowls of Chicken and Dumpling Soup with text overlay.

Check out this article that explains the origins of chicken and dumplings in detail.

Dumplings themselves have been around for centuries and came to America in extraordinary variations with the many settlers from European countries. I like to think that somewhere in the history of dumplings, there was another cook mixing soured flour and eggs into a thick batter to cook in rich broth!

Two bowls of Chicken and Dumpling Soup with big, soft, pillowy sourdough dumplings.

Since I’d never had the dish, I was free to envision it without bias. My version is probably very different than anything you’ve tried before. I opted for a clear chicken broth, reminiscent of consommé, instead of a thickened gravy-style broth. My dumplings are less like biscuit dough and more like soft sourdough egg pasta or Spätzle with the classic chewiness you would expect of traditional sourdough.

I will definitely be adding this dish to my rotation. It’s wonderfully hearty, fairly simple, and feeds a crowd! I hope you’ll enjoy my version of this classic!

Bowls of clear chicken broth with cooked carrots, shredded chicken, sourdough dumplings, and fresh herbs.

Sourdough Dumpling Batter

One of the really lovely things about this recipe is that the dough is actually a thick, four-ingredient batter. It gets mixed in the morning, left to ferment all day, and is ready to use by the time your chicken is ready. 

A bowl of Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings garnished with fresh parsley and sage.

A bowl of Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings garnished with fresh parsley and sage.

Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings

Yield: Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes

Sourdough dumplings are extremely easy to make with fresh sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard. They have a great chewy texture and pleasant, slightly sour flavor. When boiled in broth or liquid, they become light and fluffy, perfect for a refined chicken and dumpling soup!

Ingredients

Sourdough Dumplings

  • 250 grams (1 cup after stirring down) sourdough starter, 100% hydration
  • 140 grams (1 cup) flour  
  • 6 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
  • 2 whole eggs

Chicken Soup Portion

  • 1 whole pastured chicken (4 to 6 pounds)
  • 18 grams (1 tablespoon) salt
  • 7 grams (1 tablespoon) fresh ground pepper
  • 56 grams (4 tablespoons) butter
  • 5 large carrots 
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 2 shallots or 1 medium onion
  • 2 to 3 grams (1 tablespoon) dried thyme
  • 12 cups water

Instructions

In The Morning

  1. Mix the dumpling ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until well incorporated. Cover the bowl and let the batter ferment at room temperature for 8 hours.

At One O'clock in the Afternoon

  1. Preheat your oven to 250℉.
  2. Rinse and pat dry your chicken if necessary.
  3. Salt and pepper the whole bird, spreading all seasonings evenly.
  4. Heat an 8-quart oven-safe stainless steel, enameled, or cast-iron pot over medium heat. Add the butter. Once it is melted and bubbling add the whole chicken, breast side down.
  5. Brown the chicken on each side for 5 to 7 minutes (or until golden brown). If the butter is burning, turn your heat down a bit.
  6. While the chicken is browning, wash and peel the carrots, wash the celery stalks, and peel the shallots.
  7. Cut the shallots into slices and add them around the browning chicken. Stir them occasionally.
  8. Chop the carrots and celery into 1-inch chunks.
  9. Once the chicken has browned on all four sides, set it breast side up in the pan and add the other vegetables around it.
  10. Sprinkle it with the dried thyme and add the water.
  11. Bring the pot to a simmer before covering it and transferring it to your oven for a slow 4-hour cooking.

Preparing To Cook and Serve the Dumplings

  1. Remove the chicken from the oven, uncover the pot, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Using a fine mesh strainer, pour most of the broth off the chicken into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Using two large spoons, gently lift the chicken from the pot onto a large dish. It is normal for the chicken to fall apart — just try to be gentle and lift out all pieces. Gently scoop out the vegetables and place them alongside the chicken or in a separate dish.
  4. Strain the rest of the broth through the strainer into the bowl.
  5. Add the strained broth back to the pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Taste the broth and season with more herbs, salt, and pepper if needed.
  6. Using a soup spoon, drop dollops of sourdough dumpling batter into the simmering broth.
  7. Cook the dumplings for 7 to 10 minutes, turning them over once during cooking.
  8. While the dumplings cook in the broth, arrange your serving dishes. Large shallow bowls work well.
  9. Place some vegetables in each bowl, and then pick some dark and light chicken meat and shred it into each bowl.
  10. Once the dumplings are cooked, divide them equally into each bowl.
  11. Ladle hot broth over the bowls and garnish them with fresh herbs (parsley, sage, or thyme) if desired.

Notes

1. I like to use an active starter for my dumplings, but discard that isn't too old will work as well. Active starter will have a more mild flavor while discard will give you a more pronounced sour flavor.

2. You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat, or heirloom grains in these dumplings.

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Pinterest image showing bowls of Chicken and Dumpling Soup with text overlay.

Terri

Sunday 23rd of June 2024

Can these be made and then frozen til ready to cook?

Butter For All

Monday 24th of June 2024

Hi Terri,

In the recipe I suggest cooking the dumplings directly in the chicken broth just before service. But I don't see why you couldn't boil them in salted water, strain them, arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze them. Once fully frozen you could bag them in freezer bags with any extra air pushed out to help keep them fresh. If I was going to do this, I would take the desired dumpling from the freezer, allow to defrost at room temperature, and add them to the soup just before device so they don't get mushy.

Hope that is helpful! If you try it, come back and tell us how it went!

Erin

Thursday 20th of May 2021

Looking forward to trying this tomorrow, it's exactly what I was looking for inspiration to use up some discard starter lol.

Also love the article you linked and its nod to calling this dish 'potpie' - it's what I grew up knowing this dish as.

I'll have to try this both with and without the egg though. My Gran's recipe for potpie dumplings was just flour and diluted chicken stock, rolled out and torn up, and I know that other families use eggs in the recipe for an extremely similar result.

Chicken and dumplings is a hit or miss depending on the stock, after all.

Butter For All

Friday 21st of May 2021

Hi Erin,

So true! The chicken stock makes the dish. I like to use the leftovers from a whole roasted chicken to get a strong rich broth. I hope it was great!

Thanks for the nice note!

Courtney

Val

Monday 9th of November 2020

Recipe looks very good ,,can’t wait to try to try ,just wondering it takes a long time for my starter to rise just wondering what to do as it takes about 7-8 hr to rise a bit so not sure if I could use it at 4 hr or do I need for it to double in size,and do you have a sourdough recipe for bread pans Thanks Val

Mary N Olson

Monday 9th of November 2020

Are there any safety concerns with leaving the eggs at room termp for 8 hours?

Butter For All

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

Hi Mary!

I have fermented many different egg breads, pastas, and baked goods for 8 hours plus. In my own experience I've never had a problem, the starter has lactic and others acids that act as preservatives. But if you personally feel concerned you can mix the batter, leave it out for a short while to start fermentation (1-2 hours) and then refrigerate it until needed.

Hope this helps!

Courtney

Linda Wayne

Monday 9th of November 2020

Good morning Courtney. On a freezing cold morning here in Royal Oaks this sounds too wonderful. My starter was out all night with the hopes of something wonderful for dinner tonight. Guess what I'm so excited to have. Thanks so much and love you. Auntie

Butter For All

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

Hi Aunt Linda!

You are so sweet! I know the dumplings are no substitute for a hug, but I hope they warm you up ❤️

Love,

Courtney

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