Chicken Soup - Good for What Ails You!

It’s that time of year again – stuffed up, sneezing, coughing, aching time of year, or, a time when I like to make homemade chicken soup when I get a cold! Over the years of collecting recipes from the 'net, I've come up with a pretty good compilation recipe. It is mainly adapted from Nancy’s Homemade Jewish Chicken Soup.

Instead of the Matzo Balls in Nancy's recipe, I like to add my mother’s old-fashioned potato dumplings. I think it’s a Scandinavian thing but I think many northern European countries have their own versions. I reminds me of home and that's comforting in itself :)

Chicken Soup with Potato Dumplings

Printable Recipe

5-6 bone in chicken thighs, remove skin
1 tablespoon of salt, more to taste
1-1/2 tablespoons whole peppercorns)
Several sprigs of parsley
1 tablespoon dried dill
6 stalks of celery with leaves and some of the celery heart, chopped, divided

1-1/2 pounds of carrots, peeled and chopped, divided

2 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped, divided

1 small yellow onion   (leave one small onion unpeeled)
1 small bay leaf

32 ounces chicken stock

water

Put cleaned chicken thighs in a large soup pot. Cover the chicken with stock and water, enough to cover by at least 3 inches, and add salt. 

Bring to a full boil over high heat, skimming off the foam. Add the pepper, parsley, celery and dill. Add half of the chopped carrots & onions

Slowly simmer for about three hours, with a lid partially covering the pot.  Add extra water as needed to keep the pot around two-thirds full. Skim the fat off the top occasionally.  Ideally, refrigerate overnight and removed solidified fat the next day.

Remove chicken pieces from the stock and strain the liquid.  Pull the chicken off the bones and cut or shred into pieces.

Place strained stock back in the soup pot and bring to a boil.  Add the remaining chopped celery, carrots and onions and cook for about 30 minutes.  Then add the chicken pieces and potato dumplings, recipe below.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Add more freshly chopped parsley for serving.

Potato Dumplings

3 cups mashed potatoes, cooked and riced (about 3 medium russet potatoes)
2 large, whole eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 - 1/4 c. milk, depending on humidity (my mother would use chicken stock from the soup)
3 cups of flour, start with 2 cups and add more flour as needed
Salt to taste, about 1-1/2 teaspoons
White pepper to taste, about ½ teaspoon
Chopped parsley or chives, optional

After boiling the potatoes, drain. hen put potatoes back into the hot pan to remove excess water from potatoes. Rice them and measure.

To the still hot mashed potatoes, add the butter and allow to melt. Add salt, and milk, seasonings and combine. Set aside to cool. Add beaten eggs and 3 cups flour, one cup at a time. Mix and then knead until smooth and soft in texture. If dough is sticky, use a little more flour.

Bring a large stock pot of water to a low boil.

Scoop up dough with a spoon or in your floured hands and drop into boiling salted water gently and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from water, drain and add to chicken soup above.