Turkey Dumpling Soup

A Turkey and Dumpling Soup with frozen vegetables and homemade turkey broth.

Yo! I am loving this rainy cold weather we are having on the West Coast. So much in fact that I’ve been experimenting with soups more since the weather is perfect for it. Winter is my favorite season next to Fall, so I’m loving the rain. The only problem with all this rain is the mudslides and damage to the roads it’s causing. Every time my husband leaves to go to work I worry and can’t wait for him to be back home.  He has about an hour drive to work and another hour and 40 minutes drive on the way back home when he goes into the office. All I can do is hope he’s driving when there’s a break in the rain.

As for me and the kids, we will keep having soup for lunch.

One soup I’ve been experimenting with lately is this turkey and dumpling soup. The kiddos love the dumplings and always eat those first. When they ask for seconds I have to make sure they’ve eaten the vegetables and some of the turkey meat before they can have a second serving, otherwise they will fill up on just the dumplings and broth.

The broth takes a little prep work, but you can do this a day in advance.

For example, the day before I made this soup I boiled a 2-pound turkey breast half (bone and skin on) in 10 cups water and removed the foam and fat that rose to the top of the water as it was boiling. After about 15 minutes of boiling on medium-low and removing the foam and fat, I added 8 whole black peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dry rubbed sage, and 1 bay leaf.

After adding the spices, I covered it and continued to boil it on low for another 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, turned it off and seasoned it with kosher salt, let it cool down, and put it in the fridge (covered) for the next day.

Making the broth is something you can do on a Saturday or Sunday night when you have time and don’t mind saving it for later. I do this while I’m making a snack, lunch, or dinner even. You don’t have to wait to use it, you can just make the soup then and there, but I find it helpful to have this part done ahead of time when I know I’m going to make soup that week. Plus it’s easier to shred the meat and strain the broth when it’s cold.

And to save some time, I used a 10-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables.

When you’re ready to make this turkey dumpling soup, bring the broth back to a boil. Don’t forget to strain it first!

While you’re waiting for it to boil, shred the turkey and prepare the vegetables if you are using fresh ones.

Add the shredded turkey and frozen vegetables to the broth once it starts boiling then prepare the dumpling dough.

Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to keep the soup at a low boil.

How To Make The Dumplings

Mix the dry ingredients together first, then add in the egg and milk and mix it all up well.

Ideally you should whisk together the egg and milk before adding them to the dry ingredients, but I was in a hurry to take my son to school so I just threw them in there.

Use a small spoon (or a teaspoon measuring spoon) to scoop the dough into the soup. The dough will be a little sticky, that’s normal.

Keep the boil to a low simmer and drop them into the soup one at a time. Let the dumplings cook for 3-5 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. They will more than double in size.

Turn off the heat and serve immediately.

There are many other recipes that say you’re supposed to cook them for 15-20 minutes, but when I tested that method with my own recipe, the dumplings became dense and tough to cut through. When I cooked them for 3-5 minutes, they were soft and easy to cut with a spoon so I’m not sure if this is an issue of preference, or if I got something wrong here. These look and taste like a biscuit inside.  All I know is my kids loved the dumplings, no one got sick, and that is all that matters to me.

It’s a stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup that is perfect for the Winter. If you find the time to try my turkey dumpling soup recipe, please share your experience with me here. I’d love to know how it turned out. Feel free to tag me on social media @spanglishspoon if you share a picture, too!

Next on my list are Chochoyotes. Have you tried them before? I haven’t, but after making these I became curious if there was a Mexican version of dumpling soup and found a recipe for Chochoyotes from La Piña en la Cocina. I’m so intrigued! I can’t wait to try her recipe!

Print

Turkey Dumpling Soup

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Stephanie Chavez

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 2- pound turkey breast half bone and skin on
• 10 cups water
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 10 oz bag frozen vegetables

For the Dumplings

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. In large stockpot, on medium-low, boil the whole breast half in water. Remove the foam and fat that rises to the top of the water as it boils.
2. After 15 minutes add the peppercorns, mustard seeds, dried thyme, sage, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.
3. Turn off heat, season with kosher salt to taste. Let cool long enough to shred the chicken and strain out the spices; Or store in the back of the fridge up to two days if saving for later.
4. When ready, strain broth in a fine mesh sieve, shred the turkey, set aside.
5. Bring broth back to a medium-low boil; add frozen vegetables and turkey and cook until turkey is warmed up. Keep it at a low boil.
6. For the dumplings: Combine the dry ingredients, then in a small bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Stir into the flour until it forms a sticky ball of dough. Scoop 1 teaspoon sized balls into the hot water. Cook 3-5 minutes. Dumplings will expand. Makes 20-22 dumplings