Chicken and Basil Dumplings

Soup:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 cups of chicken broth (divided)
• 2 cups of roasted chicken, shredded
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the carrots, celery, and minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Add the 7 3/4 cups of chicken broth, dried basil, bouillon granules, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on medium-low for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Dumplings:

• 1 1/4 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Combine the flour with basil, garlic powder, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. 

Combine buttermilk and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Remaining Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of remaining chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Add the chicken to the soup then taste to re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. 

Combine the cornstarch with the chicken broth and mix thoroughly to make a slurry. Add slurry to the soup, simmer for 3 minutes.

Drop dumpling dough, 1-2 tsp per dumpling, (I used two spoons to drop them into the soup) into the chicken soup. 

Cover and cook for 7 minutes (DO NOT LET THE BROTH BOIL). Add the chopped parsley to the soup and serve. Enjoy.