Halloween is over and it’s officially that cold and dreary time between holidays. I know some of you love to jump forward into the next holiday, but I enjoy taking some time to recharge and relax. This soup is one of my favorites during this time because it’s warm and hearty and tastes like stuffing, and it’s super easy with drop dumplings!

I tried to remember exact measurements on spices but I mostly just taste and season, so I gave my best guesses! I like mine with a strong flavor of thyme in both the dumplings and broth, which is what gives it the stuffing taste, but start small and add more to figure out your preference. Also, if you have it, fresh rosemary makes the dumplings and be careful what broth you use, it may make it too salty. Honestly, other than the sprinkle of salt on the veggies in the beginning, I rarely find I need extra (and that’s me salt queen speaking) but it all depends on the broth.

The ingredients you will need for the soup are:

• 1.5 lbs raw boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in chunks OR 10 oz shredded cooked rotisserie chicken (if ya lazy)
• 1 onion (I use medium white or yellow) diced
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 celery stalks diced
• 4 carrots diced
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 of 900 ml chicken broth, I use PC Organics
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 30 grams fresh grated parmesan

The ingredients you will need for the dumplings are:

• 3/4 cup white all purpose flour
• 30 grams fresh grated parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt dashes of pepper
• 3/4 cup of 2% milk

In large pot over medium heat, melt the butter into olive oil.  Add onion, carrot, celery and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes until everything is starting to get tender and onions start to go translucent.  Add ground mustard, turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme, onion powder, garlic powder and stir constantly just for a minute to get the spices fragrant. Add in the broth and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, mix all dumpling things in a bowl with a fork until a batter forms. Taste and see if you want to add more thyme (I like mine really thyme-y haha). After the 15 minutes, uncover, bring soup back up to a boil. Add chicken and parsley. If using raw, wait about 5 minutes to start adding dumplings.  Once at a boil, take little 1/2 to 1 teaspoon size drops of batter and drop into the boiling soup until all batter is used.

Add parmesan and other 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of thyme depending on your preference. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, onion powder or garlic powder. I usually end up adding a dash more of onion and garlic to the broth but it’s personal preference. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove bay leaf. Eat!