This Keto Chicken & Dumpling Soup Is Comfort Food In A Bowl
Legendary as a soul-warming folk medicine, chicken soup could be the ideal food. I've added yummy dumplings here for an extra measure of comfort. It is theorized that chicken soup has some anti-inflammatory properties, and anecdotally I would agree: Last winter after coming down with a bad cold, I treated myself to this keto-friendly soup. Within a few days, I no longer had to line my pockets with loads of tissues before leaving home!
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Keto-Friendly Chicken & Dumpling Soup
Serves 6
For the chicken soup:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Celtic sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 small carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
For the dumplings:
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Celtic sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
Method:
- Make the chicken soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pot, and cook until golden brown on all sides and almost cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pot, then add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes to meld the flavors, and season again with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and cream, and reduce the heat to the lowest simmer setting.
- Meanwhile, make the dumplings: Place the mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Add the almond flour and baking powder and season with salt and pepper. Once cooled slightly, add the beaten egg and stir until a dough forms. Remove the dough to a piece of parchment paper and roll into 12 small balls.
- Drop the dumplings into the simmering soup and cook until lightly puffed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not simmer on a high setting or for too long or the dumplings will fall apart!
Excerpted from Rocco's Keto Comfort Food Diet by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2020 by Rocco DiSpirito. Excerpted by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Rocco DiSpirito is a James Beard Award-winning celebrity chef and the author of 10 bestselling books, including three back-to-back #1 New York Times bestsellers. Rocco has starred on numerous television shows and can currently be seen as the cooking expert on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.
He is frequently featured as a food and weight loss expert in print and online media such as People, Time, Fitness, and Self. His website is www.roccodispirito.com.