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Chicken soup with buttermilk dumplings and dill

Yield: 4

Overview: Roast the chicken thighs, build the soup, and steam the dumplings

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Ingredients

For the soup

• 2 - 2 ½ lbs chicken thighs, bone-in (see note)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil or schmaltz (chicken fat)
• 1 onion, medium dice
• 1 fennel bulb, medium dice
• 1 small head celeriac, medium dice
• 2 carrots, sliced in half moons
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup ap flour
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• black pepper

For the dumplings

• 1 cup ap flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. 425°F with the fan on.
2. Roast the chicken thighs. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast them until they reach an internal temperature of 175°F. Check them after 10 minutes. Set them aside until they are cool enough to shred.
3. Build the soup. In a large pot with a tightfitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, celeriac, and carrots and saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, and once melted, stir in the flour. Continue stirring for a couple of minutes, until the roux begins to smell nutty. Deglaze with the white wine. Add the chicken stock, bay, black pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the chicken. If you have not yet done so, shred the chicken thighs and add them to the soup. Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust.
5. Make the dumpling batter. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Mix the wet into the dry until just combined. This dough is pretty wet, so it will come together easily - no need to mix excessively. We want the dumplings to be light and fluffy.
6. Form the dumplings. Use two spoons to form dumplings (about the size of a cherry tomato) and drop them gently into the simmering soup. Don’t worry too much about their shape, as they are going to puff up. You should end up with about 12 dumplings. Cover the pot with the lid and set the heat to a very low simmer. Steam the dumplings for 12-15 minutes. They’re done when the surface is shiny and they’re no longer doughy in the middle. Take one out and cut it open to test.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls. Top with herbs and a few grinds of black pepper.

Tip

You can substitute leftover roasted chicken or turkey instead of roasting chicken thighs. 

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