Dirty Pans

Cold night? How about some soup? This chicken and dumpling soup has got a lot of flavor and it uses some vegetables I am not used to. In fact, who knew rutabaga was going to be one of my favorite root vegetables? It smells like horseradish, it has the texture of a light potato, and it tastes somewhere in between cabbage and turnips for me. That soup and a glass wine = perfection!

Chicken and dumpling soup = $12.32 for a big pot of soup (at least 4 portions)

• 1 tbsp of butter (I use Smart Balance) = $0.15
• 2 carrots, chopped = $0.35
• 3 medium turnips, peeled and chopped = $1.50
• 1 large rutabaga, peeled and chopped = $1.99
• 1 medium onion, chopped = $0.67
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced = $0.10
• 1 cup of white wine = $0.65
• 2 sprigs of thyme = $0.35
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs = $4.99
• 1 cup of milk = $0.25
• 2 tbsp of tarragon = $0.50
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Ground pepper and salt to taste
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour = $0.40
• 1 tbsp of chopped parsley
• 2 eggs = $0.42

1- In a large saucepan, cover the chicken thighs with water nand about 1 tbsp of salt. Bring it to a boil and let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. This will be your homemade chicken broth. Once it is cool, shred the chicken and reserve. 

2- While the chicken is cooling, chop your vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrots, turnip, rutabaga, onion, and a large pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 10 minutes, until the vegetables become somewhat tender.

3- Add the wine, the chicken broth with the shredded chicken, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 30 minutes under medium-low heat.

4- About 15 minutes into the cooking time, prepare the dumplings. Just combine the milk, 1 tbsp of chopped tarragon, the nutmeg and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stir vigorously until the liquid is absorbed by the flour. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until you have a thick dough.

5- Form the dumplings with a tablespoon and dump them into the soup. You should have about 15 dumplings the size of a tablespoon (they grow as they cook). Cover and cook for the remaining 10 minutes. The dumplings will float to the surface of the soup.

6- Garnish with parsley and the remaining 1 tbsp of tarragon and enjoy!

Nutritional information per portion (a generous bowl of soup with about 4 dumplings in)

• Calories = 389
• Carbs = 50g
• Protein = 26g
• Fat = 7.9g
• Fiber = 10.3g