I was more fatigued than usual most of this spring so I lived on comforting and easy stews and soups. Since my dairy allergy has improved (though not gone away) with allergy shots, I decided to try some recipes using cream cheese. Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate cool weather comfort food so I came up with this recipe. The dumplings were light and fluffy just the way they should be. I used a whole, raw chicken but a rotisserie chicken or raw chicken parts would work as well. Using a rotisserie chicken would make this recipe much quicker. I used chickpea flour in the original recipe, but changed it to lupin flour once it became available since it is lower in need carbs. I didn’t add herbs and spices to my dumplings when I made them the first time but quickly realized they’d be a good addition so I included them in the recipe. A friend suggested dill rather than thyme but I have several different types of thyme in my garden and it’s my favorite herb. One teaspoon dried herbs equals one tablespoon fresh herbs.

Chicken Soup Ingredients

1 chicken, whole or parts
8 cups chicken stock or water
6 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
juice of one lemon (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Dumpling ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup lupin flour
2 Tbs flaxseed meal
2 Tbs cold butter, grated or finely diced
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp granulated garlic (optional)
1/4 tsp white pepper

Rub the skin of the chicken with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Brown the skin in a stockpot or dutch oven, turning to get all sides. Cover the chicken with water or chicken broth, add thyme and sage. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about one hour if using a whole chicken, less if using chicken parts. Remove the chicken from the stock and add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Debone the chicken, dicing the meat. Return the diced chicken to the stockpot. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked, 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper, if required. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Combine the ingredients for the dumplings together in a small bowl and mix with a spoon until the flour and egg are incorporated. Small lumps of butter or cream cheese are to be expected. Allow the dumpling batter to sit for at least 10 minutes before adding to the soup to allow the flaxseed meal to hydrate. Once the soup is boiling, spoon the dumpling batter on top. Cover with a lid and allow to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure the dumplings are cooked through before removing from the heat and serving.