Chicken and Dumpling Soup!!!

If you love chicken and dumplings, this soup will become a favorite!!!   This is a soup, not our recipe for actual chicken and dumplings, so it is a bit different and I do give you some shortcuts on this!!!


 Here is what you will need:

4 large, bone in chicken breasts with skin

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced or an 8 oz. bag of baby carrots, diced

3 celery ribs, sliced thin

4 cups water

4 cups chicken broth

3 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

tsp. curry powder (optional)

1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

1  (10 3/4 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup

1  (16.3 oz.) can of refrigerated biscuits (the Grands work well)

Place the chicken,  vegetables, broth, water, butter, spices, ranch dressing mix and cream of chicken soup in a Dutch oven or large stock or soup pot!  The curry powder is very optional in this, because I know not everyone loves curry, but we do so I add it.  It's wonderful when you have colds and such for opening up the airways.  Feel free to leave it out and it's still delicious.  The ranch dressing mix gives this soup a wonderful flavor also!  Don't leave that out!!

 Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for about an hour and a half or two hours.  Remove the chicken and place on a plate to cool.  Once it's cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred it with a fork.   Return it to the soup pot.

I used canned biscuits in this to make it quicker and easier, but if you want from scratch dumplings, you can go to my recipe for Mama's Chicken and Dumplings and make those instead which is what I actually do most of the time!

If you are using the canned biscuits, roll or press each one on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut in half inch strips.   A pizza cutter works great for this!   Bring the soup up to a low boil and drop the dough in.  Stir just slightly to make sure it doesn't stick together.   Once they are all dropped, lower the heat to simmer and cover for about 20 minutes to finish cooking.  Stir occasionally so the dumplings don't stick together.   Then it's ready to serve!!!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup!!!