Cream of Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Cheddar and Herb Dumplings

To make the soup, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes until all the flour granules are coated in the butter. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking so that the flour pieces are broken down. Add the milk, dill and seasonings. Lower the heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes until the soup thickens.

To make the dumplings, bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, chives and cheese. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined.

Using a tablespoon or 1 ounce sized scoop, drop the biscuits into the pot of boiling water, lower the heat to medium and cook for approximately 20 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and firm. Note that many people like to cook their dumplings in the actual soup so that the dumplings pick up the soup flavor. I find, however, that it makes the soup cloudy and I prefer to cook them separately. An option, though, is to use chicken stock instead of water to cook the dumplings. When dumplings are done remove them from the water using a slotted spoon and put them into your serving bowls. Top them with the soup and enjoy.

Makes approximately 16 dumplings.

Soup recipe adapted from The Cooking Actress blog and Pinch of Yum blog.