Creamy Chicken and Dumplings (Best Easy Soup Recipe) + Video (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken up chicken and dumplings? ›

Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings

To give that a little thicker texture we're going to add 1 cup of cool water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir it up well. Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture.

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

To put soup into the dumplings, you will need to make aspic, or congealed meat broth. As you might have noticed, if you make chicken broth or pork broth at home, the soup will congeal into a gelatinous texture once chilled.

Overworking the mixture, thus having heavy dumplings is a common mistake people make. Dumplings need very gentle handling, so mix only until the ingredients are just combined, and if your recipe involves rolling them out with extra flour, avoid using too much.

Add a roux: Make a roux by melting equal parts of butter and flour in a separate pan. Stir until it forms a smooth paste, and then whisk it into your chicken and dumpling mixture. This will thicken the broth.

Chicken & Dumpling Recipe FAQ

You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency. Can I use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth or chicken stock?

Once your water is boiling, let your dumplings cook in the steam for about ten minutes. Don't remove the lid as letting the steam escape will disrupt the cooking process and result in undercooked dumplings, so keep that lid on!

The steam that builds up by covering the pot is what cooks the dumplings. Don't boil or stir the dumplings. Vigorous boiling and stirring will cause the dumplings to fall apart.

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt.

Do you cover dumplings when boiling? ›

To boil dumplings, fill a large pot two-thirds of the way with water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot and cook them until they float. Let them cook an additional two to three minutes.

To ensure the dumplings are cooked thoroughly, the soup should be at a medium boil when you drop the dumplings in. You'll know the dumplings are done when they're light and fluffy.

Cover and steam until fully cooked through (10 minutes for shrimp-only siu mai; 12–14 minutes for soup dumplings). Look for the dumpling skin to become slightly translucent, and for a visible well of liquid to form at the bottom of the dumpling. Serve immediately.

What makes xiao long bao different from other types of dumplings is its super delicate skin that's thin and elastic, yet soft and almost transparent. They are both filled with that delicious gelatin that turns into soup when cooked. The main difference is that xiao long bao are steamed instead of pan-fried.

How can I thicken stove top chicken and dumplings? You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency.

You can thicken it by mixing a teaspoon or 2 of flour, or cornstarch with cold water, and then stirring in some liquid from the stew, then adding the slurry to the stew and heating it through until it thickens to the consistency you want. Why are my chicken and dumplings hard?

If you find that your filling has too much liquid, I recommend draining the entire mixture in a colander. Another trick that I learned from my mother is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch or breadcrumbs to help soak up the liquid.

Next, it's time to make the dumplings! The best dumplings, in my opinion, have a mix of cornmeal and flour. Without the cornmeal, the dumplings can become gummy and overly glutenous and then your life can completely fall to pieces if you're not careful.