Creamy Chicken & Spelt Herb-Dumpling Soup

This is chicken soup wearing its Sunday coat: carrots, parsnips, leeks, thyme, a modest splash of cream, and soft spelt dumplings steamed directly over the broth. It is rich enough to comfort without turning into paste.

Ingredients

Chicken soup

• 30 g unsalted butter
• 180 g leek, white and pale-green parts, sliced and rinsed
• 180 g carrots, diced
• 160 g parsnips, diced
• 120 g celery, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 35 g organic all-purpose flour
• 1,500 g low-sodium chicken stock
• 600 g cooked chicken, torn or diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 6 g fine salt, plus more to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 180 g heavy cream
• 15 g apple cider vinegar

Spelt herb dumplings

• 220 g fresh-milled spelt flour
• 8 g baking powder
• 3 g fine salt
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• ½ tsp rubbed sage
• 55 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 145 g buttermilk, plus up to 15 g if needed

Method

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek, carrots, parsnips, and celery. Cook 7–8 minutes until beginning to soften. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2. Sprinkle in all-purpose flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add stock while stirring. Add chicken, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook partially covered for 18–20 minutes, until the root vegetables are tender.
4. For the dumplings, whisk spelt flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, and sage. Cut in cold butter until the largest pieces are pea-sized. Stir in 145 g buttermilk just until combined; rest 8–10 minutes.
5. Stir cream and cider vinegar into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
6. Drop 12 rounded spoonfuls of dumpling dough over the surface. Cover tightly and simmer on low for 14 minutes without lifting the lid.
7. Uncover and test the center of one dumpling; it should be fluffy and cooked through. Simmer uncovered 2–3 minutes if needed. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems before serving.

Make it well

Refrigerate up to 3 days. The dumplings will absorb broth, so thin leftovers with stock or milk while reheating gently. Freeze the soup base without dumplings for up to 3 months; make fresh dumplings after thawing.

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