Help with Chicken Noodle Soup

[taxlady]

This is a fairly easy chicken soup that won't want any pasta, because it has dumplings. We really enjoyed this, but we liked it better without the roux. The dumplings are easy and fun and taste pretty good. We really liked the dumplings when I made them with a spreadable goat cheese that had basil and chives.

Farmer Cheese Dumplings

Chef John's American-style farmer cheese dumplings are easy to make and can be simmered in any type of liquid like gravy, soups, or stews.

www.allrecipes.com

 

[dragnlaw]

Jennifer, there are different potato varieties that will hold their shape a little longer than others. Also some that have less starch. I always think of this when making various things with potato as a ingredient. Do I know which potato is which? nope, I just think about it. Half the time I've forgotten what kind of potato I have anyhow (although I think I usually pick up Russets).

I also used to have a chart that said how much pasta to use for however many servings - of course, I can't find it now. One way of estimating servings of small pasta is to remember they almost double in size. So a half cup of medium small shells will make almost 1 cup, or maybe 3/4's of a cup. Different shapes will be different of course, and how long you cook them for. Mushier is bigger.

 

[dragnlaw]

Plus I just watched the video that goes along with taxy's link of a Chicken Soup with Dumplings. Looks very, very, very yummy!
Chef John's Farmers Cheese Dumplings

 

[msmofet]

I put potatoes in my chicken soup. Soup is served over brown rice and topped with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano & pecorino romano cheeses. So no noodles. Sometimes I added tiny mild meatballs (no Italian spices just grated cheese, egg, onion, (very small amount of garlic is optional), crumbs, salt and pepper added) to the soup.

 

[medtran49]

The thing about putting noodles or dumplings in soup is that you have to increase the liquid a bit regardless. If you are making a big pot to have leftovers, it's better to cook noodles or dumplings separately and store separately because both will continue to absorb liquid and you’ll end up with a casserole, rather than soup, as someone mentioned previously.

 

[msmofet]

The thing about putting noodles or dumplings in soup is that you have to increase the liquid a bit regardless. If you are making a big pot to have leftovers, it's better to cook noodles or dumplings separately and store separately because both will continue to absorb liquid and you’ll end up with a casserole, rather than soup, as someone mentioned previously.

Good tip Med. And rice if you like chicken and rice (or barley) soup.

 

[msmofet]

The thing about putting noodles or dumplings in soup is that you have to increase the liquid a bit regardless. If you are making a big pot to have leftovers, it's better to cook noodles or dumplings separately and store separately because both will continue to absorb liquid and you’ll end up with a casserole, rather than soup, as someone mentioned previously.

Thoughts and prayers for you and family. I hope Milton isn't to bad.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

This is a fairly easy chicken soup that won't want any pasta, because it has dumplings. We really enjoyed this, but we liked it better without the roux. The dumplings are easy and fun and taste pretty good. We really liked the dumplings when I made them with a spreadable goat cheese that had basil and chives.

Farmer Cheese Dumplings

Chef John's American-style farmer cheese dumplings are easy to make and can be simmered in any type of liquid like gravy, soups, or stews.

www.allrecipes.com

OMG! My grandmother, a farmer's wife with 10 kids, used to make the most delicious dumpling soup every year at Thanksgiving when we would go to visit. That was so long ago that I had completely forgotten about it until you mentioned dumplings here.

But I am terrified to try it. The daughters and daughters-in-law all said that they had tried to make it and failed. Grandma's dumplings floated and did not fall apart. And she lived in a tiny town (~100 people) in a very rural and remote dry farming area. When I first remember going there she only had a small coal stove and no indoor plumbing.

But thanks for that very sweet memory from my childhood.

 

[dragnlaw]

Do you get or use something like Bisquick? There's usually a recipe for drop biscuits and dumplings on the box. For dumplings you only need some milk. Mix into a dough and drop on boiling (reduce to simmer as per Chef John's video) stew or soup, cover, cook about 10 minutes. done!
I've done both, it's so easy I'm afraid I'm rather spoiled.

 

[SGM Chef]

Hi Jennifer, If you choose to cook noodles separately consider using a stainless tea ball containing things like rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, etc. in the noodle water.

FWIW, Off topic but since this is the season, I put cinnamon stick fragments, cardamom pods, and cloves in one of these and add the secret ingredient of vanilla in my hot spiced cider I keep in the crockpot for visitors on these crisp Autumn days.

Inexpensive and very useful tool...

 

[taxlady]

OMG! My grandmother, a farmer's wife with 10 kids, used to make the most delicious dumpling soup every year at Thanksgiving when we would go to visit. That was so long ago that I had completely forgotten about it until you mentioned dumplings here.

But I am terrified to try it. The daughters and daughters-in-law all said that they had tried to make it and failed. Grandma's dumplings floated and did not fall apart. And she lived in a tiny town (~100 people) in a very rural and remote dry farming area. When I first remember going there she only had a small coal stove and no indoor plumbing.

But thanks for that very sweet memory from my childhood.

I had never made dumplings for soup or stew before I tried Chef John's dumplings. They were perfect, from the first time, even though somewhat bland the first time. They have all floated and none have fallen apart. I even use whole wheat flour to make the self-rising flour from the link to recipe for that, which is in the recipe for the soup and dumplings.