Enjoy the comforting, warm flavors of old-fashioned chicken and dumpling soup, but made with tangy, flavorful sourdough. This Sourdough Chicken and Dumplings Soup Recipe is a perfect way to use up discard while providing a warm and hearty meal to the family for pennies per serving.
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This recipe gives cozy classic vibes while adding a flavorful homestyle upgrade. With shredded chicken, hearty vegetables, and fluffy sourdough dumplings, this recipe is a great way to create a filling dish that tastes like it's been simmering all day. But it's made in under 30 minutes.
If you're looking for comfort food and hearty fall weather soups to warm you up, this is one soup recipe you'll keep coming back to. It's filling, it's frugal, and it's made with simple ingredients.
If you want more soup ideas to help you mix it up, try our Stove Top Beef Stew and Creamy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick comfort food. This soup comes together in about 30 minutes, but tastes like it's been simmering for hours.
- Budget-friendly. It costs under $6 for the entire pot of soup, and you can easily add more broth to stretch it further (if needed).
- Uses discard. A smart way to use up your sourdough discard without creating waste. We have a lot of discard recipes, including Sourdough Gravy and Rustic Sourdough Discard Bread.
🛒 Ingredients
- Onion. Brings depth and sweetness to the broth while creating the base flavor that ties everything together.
- Broth. The heart of the soup, making it rich, cozy, and flavorful while allowing the dumplings to simmer perfectly.
- Sourdough starter/discard. Provides a tangy flavor and natural rise, making the dumplings taste unique and giving them extra fluffiness.
- Flour. Forms the structure of the dumplings and creates that soft, tender texture we love when they puff up in the soup.
- Baking powder. Ensures the dumplings rise light, airy, and fluffy instead of dense or heavy. This is especially helpful when your discard is thin or inactive.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Substitutions
- Chicken: Swap with leftover turkey, or go vegetarian with mushrooms or chickpeas.
- Broth: Any broth works- chicken, beef, or vegetable. Homemade stock adds the richest flavor.
- Dairy: For dairy-free, use plant-based milk and oil instead of butter and cow's milk.
Variations
- Veggie Boost: Add peas, corn, green beans, or even a bag of frozen mixed veggies.
- Spicy Kick: Sprinkle in cayenne or red pepper flakes.
- Quick Fix: Use rotisserie chicken for an easy shortcut.
- Twist: Try Sourdough Pie Crust scraps cut into strips for a "chicken and noodle" style dish instead of dumplings.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Chicken: Use leftover or rotisserie chicken instead of buying fresh raw every time. It saves prep time and money. Save some chicken for Grandmas Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe.
Broth/Stock: Use whatever you have. Store-brand chicken, vegetable, or beef broth works fine. Or use water + bouillon for even more savings. I keep jars of better than bullion in my fridge and add it to all my soup bases instead of stock (unless I have homemade stock on hand).
Vegetables: Carrots, celery, onion are inexpensive, especially when bought in bulk or on sale. Frozen mixed veggies also work for bulk and cost savings.
Stretch & Store: This recipe covers about 6 servings. Make a double batch when produce is on sale, then freeze leftovers for an easy, frugal meal later.
🥄 Instructions for Sourdough Chicken and Dumplings
Step 1: In a large pot, heat butter or oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, and garlic for 5-7 minutes until softened. (Image 1).
Step 2: Add the shredded chicken to the pot along with the seasonings. (Image 2). Stir to combine.
Step 3: Whisk in the chicken broth until well mixed. Bring to a gentle simmer. (Image 3).
Step 4: In a bowl, combine sourdough starter, flour, baking powder, salt, and butter. (Image 4).
Step 5: Slowly add milk/water until you form a soft dough. (Images 5 & 6).
Step 6: Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of the simmering soup. Keep soup at a gentle simmer, not boiling. (Image 7).
Step 7: Cover and cook 12-15 minutes without lifting the lid too much. Dumplings should be puffed and firm. (Image 8).
Serve warm and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Temperature matters. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer while dumplings cook. Boiling will break them apart.
- Lifting the lid warning. Avoid lifting the lid often while cooking dumplings; steam is what makes them puff up.
- Use just enough flour and milk to bind the dough together. Dumpling dough should be slightly sticky, too dry and they'll be dense, too wet and they'll fall apart.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of broth to keep the dumplings soft. Microwave in short bursts if preferred, stirring between intervals.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Soups are great when paired with a simple green salad like this Iceberg Salad, but adding a bread to it, like our Sourdough Bread, or Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners, can give a nice contrast and is especially great if you like to dip bread in your soup.
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
- Easy Yeast Rolls for BeginnersRecipe $1.06 / Serving $0.12
- Zucchini Cornbread CasseroleRecipe $5.04 / Serving $0.42
- 65% Low Hydration Sourdough BreadRecipe 0.97 / Serving $0.06
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, but freeze before adding dumplings. Make the soup base, freeze, then thaw and add fresh dumplings before serving.
Yes! Cold discard works just fine for these dumplings.
They should be puffed, firm, and no longer doughy inside when cut open.
It's made with a savory broth, tender chicken, veggies like onion, carrots, and celery, plus fluffy dumplings made from flour, baking powder, liquid, and a little fat like butter or oil.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Egg Drop SoupRecipe: $1.54 | Per Serving: $0.77
- Creamy Turkey Dumpling SoupRecipe $4.47 / Serving $0.75
- Poor Man's Beef Stew (Stove Top)Recipe $9.84 / Serving $1.64
- Cheesy Potato SoupRecipe $8.84 / Serving $1.11
🐝 If you tried this Sourdough Chicken and Dumplings, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Soup
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or butter - ($0.20)
- 1 large onion, diced - ($0.98)
- 2 large carrots, chopped - ($0.42)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped - ($0.34)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced - ($0.18)
- 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded - ($0.50)
- 6 cups broth, chicken, beef, or vegetable - ($1.50)
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste - ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder - ($0.08)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.04)
Sourdough Dumplings
- 1 cup sourdough starter or discard - ($0.12)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour - ($0.13)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder - ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter - ($0.10)
- ¼-⅓ cup milk or water - ($0.07)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley - ($0.08)
Instructions
- Sauté vegetables. Heat the olive oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.
- Season and add chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper until evenly combined.
- Add broth. Pour in the broth and bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Mix dumpling dough. In a bowl, combine the sourdough starter, flour, baking powder, salt, and olive oil or butter. Gradually add the milk or water until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
- Add dumplings. Drop spoonfuls of dough gently onto the surface of the simmering soup. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
- Steam dumplings. Cover the pot and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, lifting the lid as little as possible, until the dumplings are puffed and firm.
- Serve. Serve warm.
Notes
- Chicken shortcut. Pre-cooked shredded chicken, such as rotisserie or leftovers, keeps this meal quick and budget-friendly.
- Gentle heat matters. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer when cooking dumplings. Boiling can cause them to fall apart.
- Dumpling texture. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Dough that is too dry will be dense, while overly wet dough may dissolve.
- Lid discipline. Avoid lifting the lid frequently while dumplings cook. Trapped steam helps them puff properly.
- Starter flexibility. Sourdough starter or discard can be used straight from the refrigerator with no need to feed first.
- Leftovers. This soup tastes even better the next day. Add a splash of broth when reheating to keep the dumplings soft.
Nutritional Information
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Nicole Durham says
This soup is so flavorful and easy to make that its quickly become one of our favorites.