Sourdough Chicken and Dumplings
The ultimate comfort food made completely from scratch - sourdoughchicken and dumplings with active starter or discard.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 488kcal
Equipment
- large pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 carrots quartered and diced
- 3 stalks celery halved and diced
- ½ medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 quart chicken broth
- ½ cup cream
- 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sourdough Dumplings
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- ¼ cup sourdough starter
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Sauté the Veggies: In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter and sauté onion, carrots, peas, and celery until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Make the Broth Base: Stir in seasonings. Sprinkle in flour and stir until it coats the veggies, then slowly pour in chicken broth while stirring to prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer.
- Mix Dumpling Dough: In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in cold butter until crumbly, then stir in sourdough starter, egg, and milk just until combined. Turn out onto floured surface, knead a few times, roll out ¼-inch thick, and cut into ½-inch squares.
- Drop Dumplings: Keep the soup at a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil). Use a bench scraper to transfer dumplings into simmering soup.
- Cover + Cook: Cover tightly and simmer for 10 minutes or until dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Avoid lifting the lid while they steam.
- Finish: Stir in chicken, cream, and shredded cheese, and continue simmering another 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cooked chicken: Use fully cooked, shredded, or chopped chicken; rotisserie chicken works well and saves time.
- Gentle simmer: Keep the soup at a low simmer when cooking dumplings—boiling can make them dense or gummy.
- Dumpling texture: Mix and knead just until combined, then roll out the dough; overmixing leads to tough dumplings.
- Sourdough flavor: Sourdough starter adds depth without making the dumplings taste sour.
- Consistency: If the soup thickens too much after sitting, add a splash of broth when reheating.
- Freezer tip: The soup base freezes best; dumplings may soften slightly after thawing but remain flavorful.
Nutrition
Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 1448mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6225IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 249mg | Iron: 3mg
